Veil of Secrets: Who Can I Trust?
by LoZmercenary002
Summary: Tanner Murphy visits a small town in Massachusetts for his best friend's wedding only to find that some strange and dangerous things have been happening. Follow Tanner as he solves mysteries, deals with loss, finds love, and saves his best friend. Warning: Not intended for light stomachs, anti-romantics, homophobes, or people who don't like murder mysteries. MC x Flynn O'Malley
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When Kate asked me to come to her wedding, I wasn't expecting this. First off, her fiancé's "house" is actually a mansion. Second, he's stupid rich… like… ten collector cars in their own private garage and a house with enough rooms for the whole town rich. Third, we haven't talked in over a year and now I get an invite to a wedding where she's marrying someone with the _same name as me._ Needless to say, I was feeling a bit out of place when the cab let me out at the Sterling's estate.

I walked through the gate and up the long brick driveway to the door. There was a knocker, but, with a house that big, I had no way of knowing if they'd hear me. I raised my hand to the door then froze. _I should just text Kate._ I had just pulled out my phone and started scrolling through my phonebook when the door swung open, revealing a tall, dark man in a buttoned-down shirt and nice slacks.

"I take it you're here for the rehearsal dinner?" he gave me a charming smile.

I fumbled with my phone, trying to shove it back into my pocket quickly. "Uh, yeah- yes. I'm a friend of Kate- uh, Katherine's," I stuttered, trying to be more professional, but failing miserably.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, she's Kate to me, too," he opened the door wider and stepped to the side, inviting me in. I slipped passed him and into the huge room. Two curved staircases wound from the ground up to the second floor. The ceilings were higher than I'd seen anywhere but a museum or a church.

"Wow," I let slip, catching myself afterwards by biting my cheek.

"I assume you've never been here before by the look on your face," he teased, as he closed the door. "I'm Grant Emerson. I'd be happy to show you around," he held out his hand.

I shook his hand with a curt smile. "That would be great. I'm Tanner," I introduced myself.

He cocked his head at me in curiosity, not letting go of my hand. "Is that a joke?" he asked.

I laughed nervously. "No, it's just a happy coincidence," I took my hand back. "My name is Tanner Murphy."

"I see. I apologize for my rudeness then," he slid one hand into his pocket and gestured down the hallway. "Would you still like the tour?"

I nodded. "That would be great, thank you," I smiled, accepting his apology. Grant led me down the hall towards where I assumed everyone else already was. "So, Tanner," he shook his head, wrapping his brain around the fact that I shared a name with the groom, "how do you know Kate?"

"Kate and I were best friends in college," I explained. "We kind of lost touch last year, though, so I'm surprised I got the invite." I looked down at my watch to check the time. I wasn't late, but I didn't think I was early enough to be considered a good guest among the rich. Not that I had much experience with the upper class, but I didn't want to test my limits at my best friend's wedding.

Grant let out a hardy laugh. "Kate's told me some stories about her college days. If you're _that_ friend, it sounded like you two were a force of nature," he grinned from ear to ear. Maybe this wouldn't be too difficult after all.

"You could say that," I smirked, thinking of the times she'd dragged me out of the dorms to do something. "Are you the best man?" I asked.

"Well, yes, but I wouldn't say I'm _best_ friends with him," he began. "Our families have… a long history. Both with Bridgeport and each other." I looked around at the pricy artwork on the walls and the decorative vases that lined the floor. How long was this hall way? "Our families have been rivals for years, but Tanner and I are friendly."

"So, do you live in a mansion, too?" I half joked, letting my eyes wander to the vaulted ceilings and fancy trim work.

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "Define 'mansion'," he said, quite seriously.

"If I have to define what a mansion is, you have one," I laughed.

"Touché," he smiled.

Farther down the hallway, we passed another staircase, a spiral case made of marble, and a door to a private art gallery that held more pictures than the hallway. _Geeze, this_ is _a museum._ "Man, Kate always joked about marrying up, but I didn't think she'd follow through. Especially not to this degree," I walked backwards as my eyes lingered on the gallery, slowly stepping away.

"Believe me, you're not the only one surprised. The town has been buzzing for months. Let's just say it's not every day that the heir to the town's richest family gets engaged to a dockworker's daughter." He pointed towards a door at the end of the hallway, "We're in here."

I smiled, impressed. "Go, Kate."

He stopped before we reached the door. "What about you? Anyone special in your life?"

I stopped with him. "Does my editor count? We spend nights and weekends together, she calls me all the time… for my deadlines," I quipped.

"Oh, are you an author?" he inquired.

I shook my head. "Journalist."

He snapped and crossed his arms cheerfully. "I've seen this movie. The hard-working journalist pounding coffee at his desk with no time for personal life," he started.

I held my hand up to stop him. "Hey, I may be pretty focused on my career, but you don't have to be so accurate," I joked. "So, what about you, Grant Emerson? What do you do?"

"I'm a lawyer," he smiled widely. "Following my father's footsteps."

"Oh, I've read this book," I mocked him. "The fancy corporate lawyer with loads of free time and a boat," I had to stop before I made myself laugh.

"Criminal defense, actually, but I do have a boat," he said way too seriously.

"So, if I get plastered tonight and wake up tomorrow in the drunk tank after wreaking havoc on the streets of Bridgeport…" I started.

"I'm the guy to call, yes," he laughed. "Listen, I'd love to keep this chat going, but we should probably join the party," he threw his thumb towards the door we'd been standing near.

"I'm following you," I extended my arm for him to lead the way.

He escorted me into a dining hall filled with wealthy East Coast socialites. The room looked stiff as half the eyes fell on me with disapproving sneers.

"Tanner!" a shriek pierced my ears. I turned to find a small red-headed girl bounding towards me, smile bigger than the moon. "You're here!" she jumped and threw her arms around me, her feet dangling off the floor. I wrapped my arms around her and smiled. "You have no idea how much I've missed you!" her nose nuzzled into my neck.

"Hey, Katie-bear," I gave her a gentle squeeze before attempting to put her down. "It's been too long," I said, prying her arms from around my neck with a laugh.

"Oh my god, it's been ages. Like, way too long! We'll have to make up for lost time this weekend," she stared up at me with pure glee in her eyes.

I tried to hold back my laugh. "Won't you be a bit busy, you know, getting married?"

She waved my question off. "Tanner's mother is a total control freak. We're not allowed to see each other before the wedding. I'm free all night," she grinned. "But on the upside, she's taking care of _everything_ , so you can stay and help me make the most of my last night as a single lady." She was practically sparkling.

"That might not be the right wording," I held back a laugh as I looked around the room at all of the confused glares. "Great choice in fiancé, by the way. Great name."

Her jaw dropped, like she hadn't even thought about it. "Oh my god, you're right," she giggled. "Can you believe I'm getting _married?!"_ she bounced, her hands in mine.

"Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for someone to try and lock it down," I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was. She hadn't changed a bit.

"I never said no-one had tried," she winked.

"It must have taken a lot for this guy to succeed then."

"You could say that…" her bouncing stopped, but the light in her eyes was brighter than ever. She held up her hand to show me her engagement ring. The diamond was _huge_.

"Holy rock, Katie! That ought to make your arm tired," my jaw dropped. _How much did that even cost?!_

She fanned herself with her other hand on her hip. "That's an added bonus. Crossfit arms without even hitting the gym," she joked. A tall, sharply-dressed man came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He had a clean-shaven face and slick blonde hair. He looked pretty aristocratic and seemed to look straight through me. "Perfect timing. Tanner, this is my fiancé, Tanner," she giggled. "Tanner Murphy, meet Tanner Sterling."

He looked puzzled, but I gave him a warm smile and extended my hand. "Pleasure to finally meet you," I said.

He took my hand in a firm grip. "So lovely to meet you as well. Kate speaks well of you… and often," he said, still not really seeing me, but I appreciated the lack of glare that I was getting from the others now that the groom had acknowledged me. "I hope the Bed and Breakfast is comfortable. We would have had you stay here at Sterling Manor, but it's been a little chaotic with all of the wedding preparations."

"It's fine. I only had enough time to drop off my things before coming over here, but the place seems charming," I said.

"Please, let us know if you need anything. We'll be happy to provide anything that might make your stay more comfortable," he offered. _He seems like a nice enough guy._

"Thank you very much, but I'm sure I'll be fine," I smiled politely, but it became real when I saw the look on Kate's face as she gazed up at her fiancé.

Just then, an exceptionally well-dressed young woman stalked over to us after staring at us for a while. She was gorgeous; long legs, pretty face, curly blonde hair that complimented her dark skin tone.

"Don't Kate and Tanner make _such_ a cute couple?" she said. "At least, now that she's dressing on the Sterling's dime…" her beautiful eyes turned cold.

"Scarlett…" Tanner hissed at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding, obviously! Kate knows how much I _love_ her."

"Totes," Kate rolled her eyes right back at her, making me wonder how she was getting along with the rest of the family.

Scarlett's eyes met mine. "Sorry, but if we've met, I've totally forgotten you," she rested her hand on her hip and shifted her weight.

"If we'd met before, you wouldn't have forgotten me," I smirked. She looked taken aback for a moment, but I could see that she was trying to hide her smile.

"Scarlett, this is Tanner. He's my best friend from college," Kate introduced us. "Tanner, meet Scarlett Emerson, my maid of honor," her pep faded as the words forced themselves out of her mouth.

"Wait, your name is Tanner?" she asked, even more confused. I nodded. "That's… interesting." She regained her composure and wasted no time throwing insults my way. "I should have known you were Kate's friend. You both have that spit-shined, blue collar thing going on," she gestured to my clothes. I'll admit, I hadn't really _dressed up_ , but it wasn't tacky either. I had a blue dress shirt with a grey sweater and khakis. "It's such an adorable look. I'm _almost_ jealous of how well you pull it off." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "You're the journalist, right?" I nodded. "I saw you talking to my brother a minute ago. Just a tip, _quaint_ isn't really his thing."

I smirked. "Hey, I'm sorry. I think we got off on the wrong foot. Can I just say that you look _stunning_?" I looked her up and down.

She blushed. "Oh, uh, thank you, I guess."

"Absolutely. And forget what everyone else is saying, alright? That dress works well, at least on _you,_ " I slid in an insult of my own. She _was_ gorgeous, but I wasn't going to let her ruin my friend's day. Nobody talks to my girl like that.

"What everyone… is saying?" she looked around the room then back to me.

"Girl, don't worry about it. If you ask me, your whole 'no makeup, all my flaws out there' look is _empowering._ Young girls will look up to you," I added. "Keep rocking it, just like you are now, okay? No matter how much people whisper about it," I gave her one more look over before giving her a pleasant smile.

Her jaw dropped. "I mean… well, I…," she cleared her throat. "Right, well, I don't know who you are, but… I'm watching you," she glared before storming off in a huff. I snickered.

"Huh," Tanner smirked. "I can't say I've ever seen someone handle Scarlett like that before," he seemed impressed.

Kate laughed. "Amazing! Like some Jedi mind trick!"

"I'm from Brooklynn, remember? Passive-aggressive is my middle name," I chuckled.

"Still, that was awesome. She's never that nice to anyone," she pursed her lips. I had forgotten how much I'd missed her.

"If that's her being nice, I'd like to see her mean. Why is she your maid of honor if you don't even get along?" I asked.

She frowned. "It's complicated."

Tanner stepped in for her. "The social circles of Bridgeport often are. Now, come, darling. Mother wanted to talk to you about flower arrangements," he tugged gently on her arm. She nodded.

"Find me when you're free and we'll catch up," I said before she got dragged away.

"God, yes," she hugged me quickly before taking off with her fiancé. _What have you gotten yourself into, Kate O'Malley?_

A little while later, after an awkward stand around in the hall, the guests began taking their seats in the dining room. I felt so out of place. I looked around while trailing the back wall and found an empty seat next to a guy that was already sitting.

"Mind if I sit here?" I inquired.

He turned and looked up at me. _Thank God, someone normal._ He had a tan, like he'd spent most of his days outside, and dark brown shaggy hair with a bit of a 5 o'clock shadow. His neck and left arm were covered in tattoos and he'd worn a casual t-shirt and jeans to the dinner. His blue eyes pierced through my soul as he spoke to me.

"I was hoping to put my feet up and take a little nap when things got boring, but sure. You can just go right on ahead and take my footrest," he said sarcastically.

I pulled the seat back and sat down. "What? You're not absolutely _riveted_ by rehearsal dinners?" I poked back at him.

His lip turned up a bit. "Not when it's my sister marrying that… never mind," he looked away, barely holding in his snarl.

"No way. You're Kate's brother?" I sat up with intrigue.

"Yeah? Have we met or something?" his eyes met mine again.

I was lost for words for a minute, but quickly recovered. "Um, I'm her friend Tanner from college," I introduced myself, holding out my hand.

He stared down at it, but didn't take it. "The first Tanner? She talks about you all the time," he said. I chuckled at the nickname. He finally took my hand. "Flynn."

"Pleasure," I said as we pulled away from each other. "I would have never guessed you were her brother."

"Not sure I know how to take that, but okay," he threw his arm over the back of his chair to face me.

"I mean," I started, when I realized I'd come out wrong, "you both got the looks, obviously…" I caught myself and blushed a bit, looking away from him. "Sorry, that was… What I meant was, she's pretty chipper and bouncy and you look so down to earth. It's hard to believe she doesn't come from a family of crazy happy people."

He smirked. "Yeah, I get it. She's all sunshine and pastel rainbows, and I'm…," he trailed off, looking down at himself.

"I motorcycle enthusiast with a studded leather jacket?" I suggested.

He laughed, looking bashfully down at his hand. _Yeah, they're definitely related_. "Maybe not the studs, but I'll take it." He was as adorable as his sister.

"Has Kate changed much?" I tried to change the subject for him. "I never would have pictured her marrying into this sort of thing," I pointed discreetly at the crystal chandelier hanging from the highly decorated ceiling of the dining room.

"I'm as surprised as you are," he said curtly. "Not that I've ever thought much about her taste in men… but I didn't think she'd wind up with a walking sense of entitlement like Tanner," he said with a hint of irritation. Then he looked at me with a sideways glance. "Uh, sorry. Second Tanner."

I couldn't help but smile. He was the first person there to not make me think that I was the one in the wrong. "He seems like a nice guy… maybe," I shrugged. "It's been a few years since I've had any idea of what she's into."

"'Seems' is definitely the operative word in that sentence," he said snidely.

Before I could ask him what he meant, a high-pitched sound broke between us; a spoon against a glass, signaling a toast. An older version of Second Tanner stood at the head of the table with a glass of champagne. His hair was grey and slicked back and his cufflinks and tie clip twinkled almost as much as the chandelier.

"For those of you I haven't had the pleasure of meeting, I am Pierce Sterling, father to the young man whose nuptials we'll be celebrating tomorrow," he began, his voice smooth and loud. "As most of you know, the Sterling legacy in Bridgeport dates back several generations. Tomorrow, it continues onto the next." His words and demeanor definitely put him in with the higher aristocrats. "For any father, his eldest son's wedding is fraught with emotion. Many of you know our Kate comes from a… different walk of life… and yet, she possesses a purity of spirit that I can only describe as Sterling." The room was filled with uneasy shuffling and glances. "Please, join me in welcoming Kate O'Malley to our family!" He raised his glass high and the room followed… well… most of them anyway.

A big, boorish, drunken looking man stood up on his side of the table and scoffed loudly. "Different walk of life? Come on! Drop the euphemisms, Dad, and just say what we're all thinking," he shouted across the table.

"Bryce," his father's tone was harsh. "I'm warning you…"

"She's a gold-digger!" he slammed his hands on the table, making some of the dishes rattle.

I gripped at the outer seam of my pants, trying my hardest not to put this guy's foot in his mouth. I looked around towards Kate. She was sinking into her seat. Then my eyes hit Flynn, who was a ball of rage next to me. I couldn't hold it anymore.

"Hey, dickhead! I don't know who you are, other than a guy who's clearly hit the bar twenty times too many, but you shut your mouth. Kate's better than you'll ever be," I stood and shouted back to him. Everyone around me looked shocked, but then giggles and whispers began as they started enjoying the situation too much.

"You're gonna call me out for drinking?" he retorted. "How could I not be drinking at this farce? Some slut from the wrong side of the tracks waltzes in here and claims _my_ family name? What, I'm supposed to welcome her like a brother?" he spat.

I cocked my head, pissed, but before I could say anything or launch myself across the table at him, Mr. Sterling's voice boomed through the room. "Enough, Bryce!"

"Kate's presence insults me," he literally spat this time onto the table.

"Bryce, I said enough!" Mr. Sterling's ringed fist tapped the table and the room fell into immediate silence. He waved his hand ever so briefly and the wait staff had Bryce by each arm in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, get off me!" he hissed, but he was already staggering from his drinks, so it didn't take much for them to drag him out of the room kicking and screaming.

Mr. Sterling shot me the same glare he'd shot his son and I took my seat as he continued. "Let's return to our dinner, shall we? I promise there will be no further interruptions." At the snap of his fingers, the staff brought out the dinner service.

I looked across the table at Kate, who smiled weakly at me. I nodded.

"Thanks for that," Flynn said under his breath.

"I… I couldn't just listen to that…" I whispered back.

His brows furrowed in anger. "Trust me, I hear you. If you hadn't done that, they'd have been scraping him off the floor," he growled lowly.

"Shit, if I'd known that was an option, I would have kept my mouth shut," I snickered. "Let me know next time."

His expression eased up a bit. "Seriously, though. Thanks."

I spread my napkin out on my lap as food was placed in front of me. "Is it always like this?"

"I wouldn't know," he said bluntly. "This is the first event the Sterlings have ever deigned to invite me to."

"Kate always had a way of attracting drama, but this is a whole new level…" I glanced around again, watching everyone speak in hushed tones over their dinner. "Seems like too much, even for her."

Flynn sighed deeply. "Look, she's my little sister, and I want to protect her, but… _that_ guy makes her happier than I've ever seen her," he jerked his chin towards Tanner. I looked up to see Kate hanging on his shoulder and smiling like I'd never seen her smile before. "Honestly, if we can just make it through the wedding, I think she'll be fine."

A few hours and a rough dinner later, some of the guests had left and the few remaining were gathered in the parlor. I stood with Grant and Scarlett over by the wall. A few minutes after that, Kate came bounding in.

"Hey, stranger," I greeted her.

"I've been looking all over for you," she said.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

She let out a deep breath. "I dunno, excited, overwhelmed, so happy I wanna scream and at the same time so nervous I wanna throw up?" she said quickly.

I chuckled. "So, normal wedding jitters?"

"Exactly," she giggled. She came back down to earth for a minute. "I know we haven't talked much lately, but I think about you all the time, you know," she grabbed my hand.

I pulled her into a side hug, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "Me, too. I'm glad we finally have a chance to catch up."

"Yeah, I-," she started, but was interrupted by Grant and Scarlett entering the conversation.

"Looks like you two are reconnecting," Grant said, pointing at my arm around her, which I slid off as if on cue.

Scarlett took a step forward. "Can I just say, I loved your little dinner show with Bryce. It was like one of those trashy reality shows where they're always pulling each other's hair," she raved harshly.

"Glad to be a source of entertainment," I sneered.

Grant put a hand on her shoulder, telling her to calm down, and said, "I'm just glad _somebody_ said something. Not enough people are willing to put that asshole in his place."

"So, I guess that puts you on Kate and Tanner's side, huh?"

"You could say that," Scarlett shifted her weight and crossed her arms.

"Oh!" I turned quickly to Kate. "How was your bachelorette party?"

Her face killed my excitement immediately. "I never had one," she frowned.

"What?" I turned to Scarlett. "It's that one of your duties as a maid of honor? What happened?"

She scoffed. "Bachelorette parties are so tacky."

I shook my head in disbelief. "They don't have to be. Besides, this is _Kate's_ wedding and we should all know she loves a good party, right?" I looked down at my best friend, urging her to agree with me.

"'Love' does not begin to describe my feelings about parties," she beamed.

"Well, it's still early," Grant suggested with a grin. "Anyone got anything better to do tonight?"

Kate shook her head. "Just sleep. Tanner's family is big on tradition, so I can't see him until tomorrow," she frowned, but quickly perked up. "Which means my plan for the night involved a few glasses of wine and a _lot_ of Netflix."

"Well that settles it," Grant clapped his hands together. "Nothing takes your mind off of pre-wedding nerves like a night on the town. Up for a party, Kate?"

"God, yes. All the yes," she bounced on her toes. "Fancy cocktails, college stories, dancing and laughing," she began listing. "I totally need this."

"Where should we go?" I asked the group.

"Kate's the main event tonight. Her choice," Grant said, making us all turn to her.

She thought for a moment. "Then… let's head to The Red Grouse. They have a drink there that looks and tastes _exactly_ like a unicorn," she giggled.

Scarlett let out a loud groan. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Feel free to sit this one out," I suggested.

"Like I would," she retorted. "I'm the maid of honor. Besides, someone has to keep you from getting out of line."

"Glad to have you then," I smiled curtly. The three of them headed for the door, but I looked around for Flynn, hoping to invite him along. I couldn't see him and, after a tug on my sleeve from Kate, I shrugged and followed her out.

After the rehearsal dinner, the four of us; Kate, Grant, Scarlett, and I; went out for a fun dinner at a place called the Red Grouse. It was an upscale, cliffside distillery on the edge of town with a view over the docks. We were seated at a table near a huge window that looked out onto the far side of town. The lights from the houses and businesses lit up Bridgeport like Christmas lights or a night full of fireflies.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" a young waiter asked our table. He had soft black hair that fit well with his black and white shirt and vest. His bowtie looked a bit big on his neck, making him look younger, though he was probably only 18 to start with.

"Several," I joked. "We're having a spontaneous bachelorette party, and she's our bride to be," I threw my arm around Kate, who was sitting next to me. Directly across from me was Scarlett, with her brother to her right. Katie grinned happily and put her hand on my knee to help support her as I pulled her towards me.

"But it appears you've brought a couple _bachelors_ along with you," the waiter pointed at me and Grant. We both looked at each other and shrugged.

"Guilty as charged," he replied.

"They're honorary bachelorettes this evening," Kate giggled.

The waiter shrugged with a smile. "Works for me. What can I get you?" he pulled a classy leather-bound notepad out of his apron pocket and clicked his pen.

I looked around to see who wanted to go first, but Grant gestured to me. "In that case, I'd like a pinot noir," I began then pointed to Kate as I let her up from under my arm, "and she'll have one of those unicorn cocktail things." I couldn't help but laugh at the idea of that drink.

"Yes! I swear, Tanner, it tastes like _sparkles_ ," she shook with excitement. "So much yummier than those martinis we used to make in the dorm room."

"I always thought I did well with those," I pretended to pout.

She leaned against my shoulder. "They were, but… Tanner… _unicorns_ ," she explained with a sparkle of her own in her eyes. I laughed.

"Right," Scarlett chimed in, "well, the _adult_ woman would like a pinot noir as well. Early 19, not that cheap stuff." She turned up her nose at the idea of young wine. "Actually," she extended her hand towards the waiter, "just bring the bottle."

Grant chuckled softly. "I'll have the house whiskey, neat," he said to the waiter boy.

The young man scribbled quickly and nodded with a smile. "Very well. I'll be right back," he turned on his heel and was back much quicker than I'd expected, then again I'd never been to such a high-end distillery, even in New York. The service here was great.

Grant raised his glass. "A toast," he said, "to Kate. We should all be so lucky to find someone as amazing as you," he beamed down at her and she blushed.

She raised her overly decorated rainbow glass up to his. "To all of you guys for taking me out before I get hitched!"

They both looked at me and I raised my glass to theirs. "To reconnecting with good friends," I smiled up at Kate, who had to stand to reach Grant's glass.

Scarlett rolled her eyes before adding hers to the mix. "To wine, the only thing getting me through this," she groaned before taking a large sip of her wine.

We all followed suit, taking the first sips of our individual drinks. I looked over at Kate, who was barely able to contain her excitement after her first sip of her unicorn flavored beverage. "It really does look like a magical creature," I joked.

"One that gets you drunk," her eyebrows raised. Grant and I couldn't contain our amusement. Scarlett scoffed and turned her back towards us to look literally anywhere else. "So, who wants another?" Kate asked.

We all turned to her not even a few seconds after looking away and saw that she had downed the entire glass of rainbow foam. Scarlett was the only one of us to say anything. "You finished yours already?" she turned around swiftly to gawk at the red head. "Are we in some kind of spring break hellscape?"

"Bachelorette party! Whooo!" Kate cheered, holding her empty glass up to signal the waiter boy, who was just as shocked as we were.

After we all had a few more drinks, we all became more relaxed. I wasn't as nervous, Grant was giggling at everything, and Scarlett had let her guard down and was telling stories about their childhood. When she mentioned a story about Tanner, I had to ask, "So, Katie, how did you meet Tanner anyway?"

"Now _that's_ a good story," Grant said after taking a long sip of his third whiskey.

"Oh," I chimed in," lemme guess. You parked in his V.I.P parking spot?"

"Kate _would_ park in a V.I.P spot," Grant mumbled with a smile, "if we had them around here."

Kate giggled. "I consider myself _supremely_ important, thank you very much," she held her chin up high, mocking the aristocracy she'd become engaged to.

"And that's why we don't have those," Scarlett jabbed, but not as harshly as before.

"So, what's the real story?" I inquired.

Kate turned in her chair to face me with light in her eyes. "Remember how I said I wanted to open a bakery?"

I nodded. "What was it? 'The Tasty Pastry'?" I giggled, sipping at my wine.

"Exactly! Well, two years ago I did it! I started my own business!" she bounced.

I put my glass down. "Really? That's amazing. So what, you baked your way into his heart? 'Cuz if that's what happened, I'm calling dibs on movie rights," I half joked.

She laughed. "Not exactly. One day we had this terrible storm and, right as I was closing up, this guy walked in soaking wet," she recanted. "He was on his way to a meeting, and he couldn't go like that, so I went to the cleaners next door to borrow a left-behind."

"It's hard to picture Tanner wearing another man's suit," Scarlett said, then looked at me. "Then again, you would, probably."

I shrugged. "I'm not against free clothes if they look good."

Kate waved our sidebar off and continued. "But the storm just got worse, and the power went out," she said with a suspenseful tone. "So," she grinned, "we just ate cupcakes and talked, and he blew off his meeting to stay with me. It was love at first sight. Seriously."

"Come on, that's not an actual thing," Scarlett rolled her eyes and twirled her glass in her fingers.

"I don't know, I think it can happen," Grant argued. "What do you think, Tanner?" he across at me.

I shrugged. "I'm with Scarlett on this one. But I'm just a professional skeptic, so what do I know?" I joked.

"That's the most intelligent thing you've said all day," Scarlett grinned mockingly at me.

The night went on and the drinks went down. Eventually, Scarlett wasn't so mean, and Katie was struggling to find words. More stories were told and each of us had our share of hardy laughs. Soon, the girls decided to step away to the restroom, leaving me and Grant at the table.

"Hey," he said suddenly, getting my attention. "I promised to show you around, and I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't offer you the best view in town," he jerked his chin towards the balcony doors in the corner of the room.

"If you're talking about yourself, I swear…" I started.

He laughed. "Well, I am a catch, but I meant the balcony," he stood up, drink in hand and waited for my response.

I stood with him, carrying my, hopefully, last glass of wine for the night and he led me out onto the glass balcony. "Wow," I said, noticing the difference between seeing it from behind the glass and seeing it with the breeze in my hair. "Not bad, Emerson," I smirked, leaning against the railing to look out across the small houses and the docks.

"I never disappoint," he said cockily.

"Seriously, what an amazing view!" I said louder than I'd planned. "There's not as much noise here as in the city," I closed my eyes and listened to the wind and the waves upon the shore.

"Bridgeport might be provincial, but it has a lot to offer," he said, leaning his back against the railing.

"It's nice. Sometimes Brooklyn can be a tad overwhelming, so it's a welcome change," I said, hearing crickets for the first time in years. "Thanks for showing me around," I smiled up at him.

"Hey, no problem. Just doing my part," he smiled back.

"I can't remember the last time I met someone as laid back as you. Someone who seems so comfortable in their own skin," I stood up straight and rested my hip against the rail. "It's refreshing."

He looked out over the town. "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it _can_ give you a lot of options other people just don't have," he said like he was some model paid for an advertisement.

I couldn't help but snicker. "You know, there's a song about that," I joked.

He looked back at me with a smile before continuing his mystic, far-away look. "I never want to forget how privileged I've been or how differently my life could have gone. I don't know… I just feel like I ought to give back. Like I need to take the opportunities I've been given and do something meaningful with them."

"Very deep and introspective," I teased before getting serious. "Is that why you're a defense lawyer? Helping the innocent and the powerless?"

He glanced at me. "Yeah, actually. It's cheesy, isn't it?" I held up my finger and thumb to tell him it was a bit. I was about to tell him it was actually pretty cool, when Kate stumbled out onto the balcony.

"Hey, Katie-bear. We should probably get you home," I laughed, catching her before she fell onto the table.

"Grant," she held up a finger to him, but couldn't stop smiling. "Are you trying to steal my best friend, or what?" We both chuckled and I held her up, putting her hands on my arm so she wouldn't fall. "Woah, I've had one to many… whatsit called? Horn-horsies?" she slurred.

"Just one?" I laughed. "You should let Grant drive you home, party girl," I suggested, looking up at Grant for approval. He nodded discreetly. The inn I was staying at was walking distance away from the restaurant, but the Emerson's and Sterling's lived up on the hill on the other side of town and I hadn't picked up my rental car yet.

"Oh, _fine_ ," she hiccupped. "Be boring." She looked back and forth between the two of us and smiled dorkily. "I love you guys. My friends are becoming friends… that's so nice. Tanner, you should move here so you can hang out with me more."

"Woah slow your roll there, Katie-bear," I patted her head. "I have a job, you know."

"Aren't we friends anymore?" she frowned, looking close to tears. I was slack-jawed. I didn't even know what to say. Of course we were, but I'd never seen her this insecure about it.

"Um, I'm gonna let you two have some one-on-one time…," Grant began to awkwardly sidestep back into the restaurant. "Scarlett it probably getting antsy anyway." I mouthed a thank you and he nodded with a kind smile before closing the glass doors to give us some privacy.

"I'm sorry, Tan. Am I being clingy? I always get clingy when I'm drunk…," Kate apologized, trying to get off my arm and sit down, but failing pretty miserably.

"I recall, believe me," I smiled as I helped her down into a chair and squatted in front of her to meet her eyes.

She slumped down and fidgeted with her fingers. "It's just… you know… I'm so lonely out here."

"What about your family and friends? You grew up here, surely you have people to hang out with regularly," I suggested. I knew her family was a bit split up, but what about her friends?

"You know how it is. My mom's out of town, and my dad… well, we don't talk about him… and my friends stopped wanting to talk to me when I got engaged to Tanner," she giggled a little bit at the end. "Not you, Tanner, but my Tanner," then she gasped. "Not that you're not mine, too, but-," she tried to correct herself.

I put a hand on her head. "It's fine. I knew what you meant," I couldn't help but smile. "What about brother, Flynn?"

She frowned harder. "I _love_ Flynn, and we still get beers sometimes, but… it's so hard with me… and the wedding…"

"They don't like him too much, I take it?" I asked.

"There's this distance between us. I don't know. I can't explain," she started picking at her nails, which I had to stop her from doing since they'd just been done for the wedding. "And Tanner's family, they're like ice. I can tell they don't want me there."

"Tanner does, though, right?" I held her hands in mine, forcing her to stop picking.

"I love Tanner. He's a good guy, not like the rest. But… but…," she struggled. I rubbed my thumb against the back of her hand, telling her it was okay to confide in me. "He's… I think he's…," but before she could say, the balcony doors swung open with a bang. I stood up quickly, since I was a bit jumpy when I drank, as Tanner barged out towards us with steam coming from his ears.

"Kate!" he shouted. "What are you doing out so late? The night before our wedding? Do you know how this looks for me?" his angry eyes shot to me, giving me the once over and lingering on our hands, still holding each other.

"Tanner! I… I was… It's just I never had a bachelorette party and Tanner is here now, and… and," she tried to explain, but it wasn't helping our case. This looked bad from Tanner's perspective. I tried to let go of her hands, but she wouldn't let me, gripping my fingers tightly.

"Got it, so you thought you'd show up to your own wedding hungover? Real classy," he fumed.

"Hey, go easy on her, would you?" I snapped. "She's just had a little too much to drink. She just needs to sleep it off." I'm pretty sure he ignored me, his eyes burning holes in my hands.

"I should have known you'd revert to your old patterns, Kate," he glared at her, making her eyes fill with tears that were reluctant to spill over.

"My old… what?" her sadness turned to irritation. She gripped my hands tighter as she tried to stand up, still a bit wobbly.

"You know what I mean. Now, let's go. I'm taking you home," he said strictly, grabbing her arm.

Before he could drag her away behind him, she looked up at me desperately. I didn't know what to do. It wasn't my place to step into a marital argument. She slid something out of her sleeve and pushed it into the palm of my hand before letting herself get carried away.

"Wait!" I shouted after them, but they were gone quicker than my words could get to them. _Maybe the Sterlings were right about them not seeing each other before the wedding_. I looked down into the palm of my hand and unfolded the crumpled note she'd left with me. "Ulysses?" I asked to myself. "What's that supposed to mean?" I searched my brain for the knowledge I'd collected in college. Originally, Ulysses was the Roman equivalent of Odysseus from the Odyssey by Homer. Could she have remembered that? Was it Ulysses S. Grant? A town name? What did this mean? What was she trying to tell me? What was going on around here?

I looked around. By the time I'd snapped out of my thoughts, the restaurant was nearly empty, save the bored bartender, who was tapping away on the counter to the song playing through the speakers. The wind had turned cold. I needed to go back to the inn…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning to the sun coming through the curtains. It was a beautiful day and I hadn't slept that well in a few weeks, since my editor was always on my case. I'd finished up a project just in time for this vacation. I opened the curtains and looked out onto the street. Not a cloud in the sky. _I wonder if the Sterlings can special order weather, too._ After getting myself all dressed up, I headed to the lobby to grab a quick breakfast.

"Hello, dear!" a kind, middle-aged woman greeted me as I turned the corner.

"Oh, hi," I smiled down at her.

"I'm Eleanor Harlenay, the keeper of this little lodge. I hope you're liking your room," she seemed naturally chipper and bouncy, just like Kate.

"It's great. Actually, that bed is _way_ more comfortable than I thought it would be. I almost didn't want to get up for the wedding," I joked.

"Oh, dear," she giggled. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying your stay. You look devilishly handsome, by the way," she added, looking me up and down.

I blushed. "Thank you, ma'am," I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Enjoy the wedding, dear. I'm sure it'll be a delight," she beamed up at me then scurried off behind the check-in counter. _I hope I will,_ I found myself thinking.

One taxi ride later, I was back at Sterling Manor. I was led into a bigger hall than last time by an usher, who told me to sit where I wanted. I looked around at the excess of pink flowers and silk drapes. The only two seats near people I knew were near Grant and Flynn on opposite sides of the room. I decided to sit with Flynn. I didn't feel like the only normal person when I was with him.

"Mind if I borrow your footrest again?" I asked, pulling out the seat next to him, but this time he extended his hand warmly, welcoming me with a smile. "What's with that face?" I asked when his grin only got bigger.

"Let's just say I'm not used to the 'hot guy' sitting next to _me_ ," he joked.

"Only twice this weekend," I prodded back, taking my seat. "You don't look so bad yourself. You clean up well," I pointed at his suit and tie, though his tie was crooked. "Mind if I…?"

He looked down, oblivious to what I was asking. "Sure, I guess," he said with a confused look.

As I straightened his tie and tucked it back into his blazer, I said, "I'll be honest, I didn't see you as the suit wearing type."

"I'm not," he looked down and readjusted his pocket square to be as straight as his tie was now, "but it's not every day you watch your little sister get married."

"Are you ready for it?" I looked up at the piano, covered in pink and white flowers until you almost couldn't see the ivories.

"Not like I have a choice," he sounded like he was holding in all the negative feelings he had about it.

Before I could ask what he meant, the officiant and Tanner walked up to the altar, making us all quiet down as the pianist began to play. Tanner smiled brightly as we all turned towards the doors to see the bride, but no-one was there. Knowing Kate, she was probably just outside the door calming her nerves before making a glorious entrance. We waited, still turned… and waited… and waited… Soon nearly ten minutes had gone by. The Sterlings all looked restless, some uneasy, some irritated, and Tanner worried out of his mind probably.

"Something's wrong. Where's Kate?" Flynn's brow furrowed as he checked his watch for the fourth time since the whispers began.

"I… don't know," I began to worry, too. "I'm going to go check on her," I stood up before anyone could stop me and walked towards her dressing room. The door was locked when I got there. "Kate, it's me. You okay?" There was nothing but silence. "Katie, open up," I knocked again. I pulled the handle up and pushed it forward, wiggling the lock out of the doorframe, and forced the door open. The room was empty. "Kate?" I looked around, not that there was really any place to hide. I hurried back out to the hall and stood behind Flynn, who was turned around in his chair waiting for answers. "She's gone," I said in a hushed tone, worrying like crazy.

"What do you mean _gone_ ," he asked, looking even more worried than me.

"I mean she's not here. She's _gone_ ," my words came out a bit louder than they should have and the murmurs began to spread like wild fire.

After thirty minutes had gone by, I was biting my nails. "I don't like this," I said, pacing a bit.

"Me neither. Something's definitely wrong," his hands were so far in his pocket that his shoulders drooped as he leaned against the wall, foot tapping relentlessly.

"I mean, Kate can be a little flakey, but she'd never miss her own wedding. That's absurd," I stopped pacing as Flynn's eyes met mine. Their sharp gaze, even in their panic, had a way of calming me down…

"You saw her last night, right?" he asked. "How was she?"

"Yeah, we went out for drinks, but… she seemed off. Something has clearly been bothering her. She tried to tell me, but…," I glanced up at the alter where Tanner and his father were angrily whispering at each other, "but then Tanner showed up and practically dragged her out of there. He was furious."

He stood up straight and his eyes went wide. "Do you think she was having second thoughts?"

"I dunno, maybe. It could just be cold feet. It seems like she's been having issues adjusting to all of this," I gestured around the room with my finger.

Flynn hung his head. "Makes sense, but still… I can't square her just bailing on everything last minute." Then his demeanor changed. "I swear to god, if something's happened to her…"

"God, I hope not," I mumbled.

Tanner and his father's conversation grew louder, grabbing our attention. Tanner slammed his fist on the back of a chair then ran out. A little while later, he came back and the argument erupted once more. A petite, pinched-looking woman rushed over to them from the corner of the room. She looked like she must have been Tanner's mom.

"Where is she?" she snapped.

"I've searched the whole mansion, mom. There's no sign of her," Tanner's face teetered between worry and irritation.

The mother huffed. "She's really run off then? How disappointing."

"Disappointing?" Tanner started. I felt for the guy. He loved her, and she'd failed to show up. "More like ungrateful. How could she do this to me?" his face contorted, and I lost any respect for him I had left.

"Are you hearing this?" I pointed towards them.

"Who isn't?" Flynn clenched his fist and I could see his jaw tighten.

Bryce snorted loudly from near the bar after taking a long swig of his beer, empty bottles surrounding him. No surprise there. "I told you, bro. Go roll around in the trash all you want, but don't bring it home!" Both Flynn and I were starting to get angry.

I stepped up. "Tanner, something must have happened. We know Kate. She's incredibly loyal! She'd never just run out on you, not like this."

"Every dog is loyal until the day it bites you," Bryce spat.

"Nobody asked you," I snapped.

"I thought I knew Kate…," Tanner frowned.

"You do. She's the woman you want to spend your life with, right? It's that why you wanted to get married in the first place?" I asked.

He sighed. "Honestly, I'm not so sure anymore. _My_ Kate would never do this…"

Flynn stepped up beside me. "Then we're all in agreement that _something_ must have happened for her to not show up," he said. "What if someone got to her?"

Tanner looked shocked. "Are you saying you think she's been kidnapped?"

"Well," I started, "there are a decent amount of people unhappy about this." I could have shot a few glances, but I decided not to.

"Ugh, please. It's nothing," Scarlett interrupted. "People get cold feet all the time. And that's when they're not so obviously out of their depth. With Kate's… _upbringing_ … this must have simply overwhelmed her."

I scoffed back at her. "We're not getting anywhere this way. Let's talk things through logically, shall we? Who was the last person to see her?"

Margret, Tanner's mother, said, "I saw her this morning in the dressing room getting ready."

"Okay," I took a mental note, "when was that?"

She shook her head. "It must have been… three hours ago?"

"And no-one's seen her since?" I asked loud enough for surrounding eavesdroppers to hear. I looked around, but everyone was either staring blankly or shaking their heads solemnly.

Just a moment later, Grant came striding up to us, shoving his phone in his pocket urgently. "I've just gotten off the phone with the police. We should sit tight until they get here."

Bryce threw his arms up. "The police? Are you kidding me? You called the police because of this?"

"She's missing, Bryce. If something happened to her…," Grant had started snapping, but his tone quickly shifted to worried.

"Of course. Mr. Emerson would never miss a chance to capitalize upon my family's embarrassment," Mr. Sterling's sharp glare landed on Grant, who wasn't having it.

"Are you serious? That's got nothing to do with this!" his glare was just as powerful.

"Not cool, Grant. Not. Cool," Bryce huffed and Grant, Flynn, and I all gave him a look to shut up. He leaned over the bar again to grab a beer then stormed off. Mrs. Sterling sighed heavily.

"Well, since Grant has assured we'll all be… sequestered… for some time, shall we make ourselves a bit more comfortable?" she messed with her hair like this whole situation was bad for her volume. "I'm sure everyone's nerves are a bit frayed. The staff can serve cocktails in the parlor."

Soon enough, everyone was off to the parlor, muttering about the turn of events. Flynn and I looked at each other, clearly not wanting to go along with the crowd. With everyone out of the way, I could look around and see if Kate really did leave on her own. "You're not going either, are you?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking, maybe we could-," I started.

"Let them enjoy the morning cocktail hour while we look around for any sign of Kate?" he finished for me.

The corner of my mouth turned up. "Well, I was going to ask you to find some pogo sticks, so we could make a day out of it, but sure. Let's do this instead," I rolled my eyes playfully. "Finishing each other's sentences is-"

"A sign that great minds think alike?" he smirked.

"Cheesy," I finished.

This time he rolled his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I've always thought of myself as pretty damn great."

"Don't forget modest. You're doing a great job at that one," I joked as he gestured for me to go first out of the room.

"Modesty's overrated," he said simply.

When nobody else seemed to be paying attention to us, we slipped into the dressing room to see if Kate left anything behind. I found her purse by the bench near the window and mirror. The only thing that wasn't there was her phone.

"She left her wallet, driver's license… everything. Nobody runs off without that," I showed the bag to him.

"Her phone is gone," he said, pulling his out to try calling her one more time. "She never intended to run off in the first place. She never forgets her purse."

The rest of the room was pure Sterling. Nothing else belonged to her, so we couldn't discern if anything was missing. "This is the _guest_ dressing room, right?"

He muttered under his breath as he shoved his phone back into his blazer pocket, clearly not getting through on the 15th call either. "I bet they've got a dozen more just like it, with signs on the door barring the unwashed masses from entering, of course."

We stared at the jewels and designer clothes on the racks. "I don't think I've ever been around this much money. It's hard to even wrap your head around... and it's really tempting to nick," I added, mostly joking. Two of these necklaces could pay off my student loans _and_ pay my rent.

"I like to see you get away with that. The Sterlings practically own this town. You'd be lucky to leave with your pride still intact," he twisted a golden bracelet through his fingers before putting it back on the shelf.

"What's your take on the Sterlings?" I asked, knowing he didn't like them, but not knowing why.

He let out a low, bitter laugh. "Look, I may not have some fancy Ivy League degree, but I know how the world works," he said sharply. "Rich folk live in places like this. Folks like me barely make rent on their shitty apartments. But having _things_ doesn't entitle you to act the way the Sterlings do."

I shrugged under his irritated stare. "I'm new here. Fill me in," I urged.

"It's not enough for them that they own the rest of us. They have to remind everyone they're better than we are as often as they can," he explained. I gave an understanding not. That's just how most celebrities acted… not all… but most. "As if they'd have a dime if great-great-great-grandpa hadn't handed it to them."

"I mean, that's a valid point," I agreed.

We took one more look around the room, then decided we'd found all we were going to find. We stepped out and walked towards the foyer where the marble staircases went up to the second floor. I looked around.

"I'm so lost here, I don't even know where else to look. This place is huge," I sighed.

"Pro tip, Mr. Investigative Reporter," he started, walking over to the bin near the door. "If you're looking for dirt on someone, start with their trash," he said, slipping his hand out of his pocket and into the rubbish bin, nearly shoulder deep. When he pulled his hand out, he held a smashed phone, wiggling it around to prove a point.

He held it out to me. "Wait, who throws away their phone? It can't be Kates. Her phones have never been that boring."

"Yeah, hers has a bunch of stickers and a kitty charm on it," he gave a sweet smile.

"Could be Bryce's," I suggested, thinking about how busted it was.

Flynn nodded. "Makes sense. He _did_ waddle this way after his little show in the reception room, and it's smashed," he noted.

"Not as much as he was," I added. "But why would he throw away his phone?"

He shrugged. "Besides the fact that he has enough pocket change to buy a new phone for every day of the week? Probably something shady he doesn't want the cops to see," he looked the phone over, but it was too damaged to even turn on. "The dude got seriously pissed about them coming around, after all."

"You don't think… he had something to do with Kate…?" I asked.

"Temper like that? I'm sure he had something to do with _something_ ," he said, gripping the phone tightly.

As if he'd heard his name, Bryce leaned out from a door just down the hall. "What are you two doing out here? Mother specifically asked the guests to move into the parlor," he huffed, wobbling his way towards us.

Flynn slipped the broken phone into his pocket before turning to confront him. "And of course we do everything Mother says, don't we, Brycey?" he mocked.

"Just get in here," he puffed again, his fat cheeks flushing with anger.

We followed him into the parlor, where all the guests were milling about with drinks and chattering anxiously. The Sterlings were standing at the far end of the room, so we slid into a corner near Grant.

"You're back," Grant turned to us immediately. "I don't suppose you've heard from Kate?" he asked nervously.

I shook my head. "I wish."

"I think we can expect the police to arrive any minute," Mr. Sterling announced, nodding at his phone.

"Good," Mrs. Sterling piped in. "We'll need them to ascertain whether anything valuable has been… misplaced," she chose her words carefully.

"Like… I dunno… your daughter-in-law to be?" I muttered.

"Seriously?" Flynn groaned at the same time, irritated at all of the negativity aimed at his sister.

Tanner stepped up and said, "Mother, I hardly think Kate's capable of that!"

Bryce stepped in, too, and added is idiotic opinion. "I'd assume someone with her background knows her way around a pawnshop," he snorted.

I had to hold Flynn back. He seriously wanted to end this guy. "That's enough. One more word about my sister and you'll regret it," he growled.

"Ooooh, feeling feisty, jailbird?" Bryce coxed him on. "Care to add an assault charge to the day? I'm sure that will help your family's cause."

Flynn was shaking, his jaw clenched so tight I worried that he might shatter his teeth. I put my hand on his chest. "It's not worth it. The cops will be here soon," I whispered. I could feel his breaths deepen as he tried to calm himself down.

Well, I tried anyway. Bryce began to walk away, but before he took a second step, he turned on his heel and sucker punched Flynn right in the jaw. I caught him as he stumbled back, but I took my hands off of him, deciding to let him go for it. Bryce deserved it anyway.

"Oh, it's on!" Flynn bounced twice on his feet, wringing his hands before tackling Bryce to the carpet, hitting a few chairs on the way down. People backed away, allowing their fists room to fly. I wanted to let them go at it, but I could see the police through the window. _Ah, shit._ I pushed myself between them, holding both of them back at arm's length, but Bryce let an elbow fly right as I stepped in and it collided with my forehead.

"Both of you, calm down!" I shouted, shoving them apart one last time, the sting of the impact making my eye twitch.

"Stay out of this, bastard!" Bryce shouted at me, pushing my hand off of his shoulder.

Flynn's chest bucked against my hand as he took a step forward. "Don't talk to him like that!" he growled.

Grant caught my eye and stepped towards us. As he did, I turned to focus on pushing Flynn away. Grant pinned Bryce's arms behind his back and began pulling him back towards the door.

"Let go of me! I almost had him!" Bryce managed to choke out.

"Sure, if what you mean is you almost had my fist down your fat throat," Flynn retorted.

"Hey, stop!" I shouted pushing him back with enough force to make him stumble. Flynn looked down at me, betrayed, as he wiped the edge of his mouth on his sleeve. "Wrong place, wrong time," I said, pointing towards the door.

Just as Bryce wrestled himself free, three police officers walked into the room. As soon as Flynn saw them, he shrank. His posture seemed skittish and he slinked into the corner. Bryce cleared his throat and brushed himself off as though nothing happened. The first cop, a heavy set middle-aged man, stepped forward.

"Alright folks, everybody calm down. We're gonna take care of everything from here on out," he adjusted his belt. "I'm Chief Tommy Walsh. These are my deputies, Jeff Duffy and Naomi Silverhawk," he pointed to the two smaller, yet more fit, officers behind him. The two waved and nodded respectfully.

Mr. Sterling smiled ingratiatingly and clapped a hand on Walsh's shoulder. "Good to see you, Tommy. Thanks for coming by," he said, clearly having an in with the police, which didn't make me feel any better.

"No problem, Pierce. Anything for my old pals the Sterlings. Little wedding drama, I hear?" he inquired, clearly not a detective.

"It seems our bride caught a case of last-minute jitters. Nothing to be alarmed about," Mr. Sterling waved it off.

Bryce laughed boorishly. "Jitters? Please. She bounced harder than the checks her family writes."

I turned to check on Flynn, who was trying his hardest not to lunge at him again, but looked like a scared puppy every time he saw the chief.

"Do you have any evidence to indicate that?" Deputy Silverhawk asked. "A note or text maybe? A prior pattern of behavior?"

Tanner frowned. "No… she didn't leave anything like that. As far as I knew, she was excited about the wedding. We were… happy."

"Then why do you think she would run away?" Deputy Duffy asked.

"Duffy! Did I say you could ask questions?" Walsh snapped back at him, making me swing my attention back around from Flynn.

"N… no sir," Duffy withdrew and took a few steps backwards. I felt bad for the guy.

"Then keep your mouth shut!" Walsh continued.

"Yes sir," Duffy put his head down.

Mr. Sterling and the police chief leaned closer together to speak more personally. I had to strain my ears to hear what they were saying, but as a reporter I'd gotten rather good at eavesdropping and reading lips.

Mr. Sterling said, "This really is a molehill, Tommy. I'm sure Kate will turn up. There's no need to draw any more attention to her… regrettable behavior."

Then Walsh replied, "Understood, Pierce. We'll just head out and let these lovely folks enjoy their cocktails."

"Are you serious?" Flynn finally jumped out of the corner, obviously able to hear them, too. "You're just going to leave? Kate could be in trouble!"

"Flynn's right," I joined him, looking towards the deputies. "I think Deputy Silverhawk made a great point. Kate has zero history of this kind of behavior," I tried to reason with them. "And we spoke just last night. If she were having cold feet, she would have told me." Chief Walsh sniffed derisively, rolling his eyes. I stared passed him to Deputy Silverhawk. "I'm really worried about her. Something must have happened."

"That does sound suspicious," Silverhawk said, thinking it over. "With all due respect, Chief, we should at least look around and talk to guests," she started, but Walsh's sharp glare set her off her footing. "What I mean to say is, I'm sure you agree the Sterlings of all people deserve our best work." I admired her quick wit.

"Of course the do!" he said, dodging Pierce's glare.

"In this instance, Chief, I think that means ruling out foul play," she added.

Walsh signed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked up at Mr. Sterling. "What do you think, Pierce? Might be nice to set everyone's minds at ease…," he said.

Pierce glanced at Margret, who gave a small nod. "I'm sure our guests would be more comfortable knowing exactly what happened… and what _didn't_ ," she glided over to the two men. "And of course, if you're already searching the house, I'm sure you won't mind helping me ensure that nothing of value has disappeared along with the girl."

"Good point, Margret," Walsh nodded, adjusting his belt again.

"To think, you were ready to call her your 'daughter'. What a joke," Flynn spat.

She huffed. "I don't see anything remotely funny about this situation," she turned on her heel and glided away like the block of ice she was.

"Officers, I suppose you'd better get started," Mr. Sterling directed.

"You heard the man. Move!" Welsh bellowed and his deputies split up to search the house.

When the room began to settle down, Flynn flopped onto a nearby chair and rubbed at his jaw. I sat next to him and frowned. "That looks like it hurts."

"Eh, it's nothing," he stopped rubbing it and looked away. "I'd say 'you should see the other guy', but I wouldn't want to subject you to that again," he grimaced.

I poked his new bruise with my index finger, making him flinch and almost swat my hand away. "See, I told you," I said, reaching for the champagne bucket on the table near his knees. I pulled out my pocket square, unfolded it, and wrapped a few pieces of ice in it.

"You don't need to do that," he sounded sweet for the first time in a while. "I'll heal."

"Eventually, sure, but I have this thing… I prefer faces when they're not all purple and bruised," I pressed the ice to his face, making him wince. "Calm down, you big baby," I pursed my lips. "What happened to the tough guy from a minute ago?"

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, maybe you're right. It hurts a little," he relaxed and let me do my job.

"I do manage to be right on occasion," I smiled. He reached his hand up to take the ice from me, but he hesitated a bit before actually doing it.

"I see why my sister likes you so much," his hands fell to his lap as he looked down at the ice pack.

"Keep it up here or it's just a waste of a handkerchief," I pulled his wrist back up to his face and held my hand over his, so he wouldn't drop it again. "The whole point is to keep the ice _on_ your face."

He was about to complain, but the deputies came back in rather quickly.

"Alright, people. You're clear to go home," Walsh said hastily.

"That's it? But you just got here?" Flynn stood up to object, his hand falling from his face again.

Duffy stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but we haven't turned up any evidence to indicate," he started.

"Did you even look?" I asked, glaring towards Walsh.

"What about Kate disappearing? That's pretty strong evidence to me!" Flynn snapped.

"We'll have to wait 24 hours before filing a Missing Persons report," Silverhawk frowned and spoke softly. It wasn't her fault. In New York it was 72 hours. I didn't expect them to do this quickly, but I also didn't expect the Chief to not care in the slightest.

"If you want to see her before then, why not start your private investigation in some of the bars around town," Walsh snickered to himself.

Tanner stepped in before Flynn could on this one. "I don't appreciate your tone. Your speaking about my fiancé," he said, annoyed.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry about that, Tanner," Walsh apologized. "I just meant, I'm sure she's safe and sound," he tried to save it, but his tone and harsh jokes were already out there. Before he shuffled his deputies out the door, he mouthed 'touchy' to Duffy, who looked like a whipped dog. I wondered what had happened that made him so submissive. "We'll do a quick search of the grounds then be on our way," Walsh said over his shoulder before leaving.

"If they won't do their jobs, I will," I hissed under my breath.

Flynn heard me and raised his eyebrow. "You sure? I know he seems like a useless oaf, but in a small down like this, the police chief has some serious pull," he warned. "It almost hurts me to say it, but you don't want to make an enemy of Tommy Walsh."

"I'm a journalist," I grinned. "I know how to get a scoop without upsetting the wrong people." I glared as the chief and his deputies finished their 'quick' search of the grounds and immediately jumped in their patrol cars. "Step one: trust your nose when something smells foul."

I left Flynn in the parlor to nurse his face while I made my rounds to ask questions. Bryce was in the dining room pouring himself _another_ whiskey.

"Bryce, do you know if Kate was upset this morning?" I asked casually.

He groaned. "You seem to think I care about her feelings. Well, you're wrong."

"Why are you so angry with her? She loves your brother, and he loves her. What's your problem?" I crossed my arms.

"Who even are you anyway?" he blubbered.

"A friend of Kate's. I just want to know what happened to her," I said.

He puffed up, getting redder in the cheeks than the alcohol had already made him. "Piece of advice, guy, stay out of my family's business."

I raised an eyebrow and shifted my weight. "What does family business have to do with Kate disappearing?"

"It… I…," he fumbled. "Why am I even talking to you? Go away," he waved me off angrily.

Clearly, I wasn't going to get anything out of him. I turned to leave the room, but noticed Pierce surveying the room. He had a drink in his hand for the first time, or at least that I'd seen, all day. Maybe he knew more than he was letting on, or maybe the stress of the situation was finally getting to him. I walked over to him carefully, watching his eyes to see if my company was welcome or if I should come back later. I wasn't going to give up in questioning _everyone_ , but I also wasn't looking to be shouted or belittled for no reason. Then again, that seemed rather difficult in this town.

"Mr. Sterling," I asked, when he his eyes didn't shoot daggers into my skull, "you saw Kate before the wedding. How did she seem to you?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Forgive me forgetting, but have we met?"

I can't say I wasn't a bit off-set, seeing as we'd been talking to each other for the past few hours _and_ I hadn't kept myself from making a ruckus. "Not officially," I recalled never formally introducing myself. Woops. "I'm a friend of Kate's from college," I said, really trying to avoid giving people my name, since it seemed to only cause confusion. He gave me a nod, prompting me to continue. I suppose it was unavoidable. "My name is Tanner Murphy," I finished.

"Oh, yes, of course," he nodded, which was not the reaction I'd expected. "Tanner did mention you'd be attending. Charming name," a smirk graced his lips. I smiled curtly as a thank you. "I'm sorry you came all this way for a wedding that seems to be… cancelled."

"Or postponed," I suggested. "I mean, once we find Kate."

He swished his drink around, watching the ice spin in the whirlpool. "Certainly. That is always a possibility."

"You haven't answered my question, though, Mr. Sterling," I pushed. "Was Kate giving off any sign of being distressed or nervous before the wedding?"

He scoffed. "I believe the correct term for how Kate was feeling is _hungover_ ," his lip curled as he spoke. I suppose it was seen as 'low-class' to get smashed the _night_ before the wedding…

"I understand you're angry, but Kate may be a victim he-," I began.

He huffed, cutting me off. "The only victim here is Tanner. He's been humiliated!" He set his drink down on the nearest table and turned to face me. "She manages to worm her way into my son's heart through sheer dumb luck, and now, after we've all resigned ourselves to the embarrassment of this match, she dares to throw it all away?" he blew a strong wind through his nose and turned his head swiftly.

"Dumb luck?" I was starting to get a headache from having to fight every single one of these rich people… "From what I've seen, _Tanner_ is the lucky one."

He glared at me and clenched his jaw. After a moment, he forced himself to relax. "It's been a long day, Mr. Murphy, and I'm sure we're all tired. If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to," he said quite professionally before taking his drink again.

"Please, don't let me keep you. I'm sure it's much more important than trying to find your son's missing fiancé," I said passive aggressively before watching him stride out of the room, shoulders held high and face reddening.

After that mess, Scarlett felt the need to speak to me. It was a pleasure to see her, but a pain to hear her speak.

"Aren't you adorable, Tanner, going into your 'big city reporter' mode," she seemed to pose every time she stopped walking. Her dress was low cut, showing off her Michelangelo-esque collarbone and shoulders. She really did have a nice figure, but her soul was crooked.

I snapped. There was only so much I could take of this 'higher than thou art' atmosphere. "The only thing I'm _trying_ to do is find out what happened to my best friend," I hissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" she put a hand to her chest, looking shocked.

"Oh, please enlighten me," I readied myself for her bullshit.

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Here, I'll even write the headline for you: Low-rent climber realizes she doesn't have wat it takes to reach the top of the ladder."

"Scarlett," I sighed, "when did you last see her?" I had to keep on task. I couldn't get distracted.

She thought for a moment. "Hmm, that would have been just before the wedding was about to start," she pursed her lips in thought, twirling her blonde curls in her fingers.

"Where was she? How did she seem?" I inquired.

"Actually," she started, "it was a little odd… She was near the corner of the property, up at the edge of the woods, talking on her cell." She stopped playing with her hair and rested her hand on her hip, shifting her weight to the same foot. "I waved and she totally ignored me."

 _Finally,_ we were getting somewhere! "Was she upset? Scared? Pacing?"

"Did you not hear me? She ignored me. _Me,_ " she scoffed. "Why would I wait around like some kicked dog after that?"

"You should have said something sooner!" I started losing my cool. I'd tried to be professional, but it was my friend missing, so it was way more personal.

"Uh, nothing happened," she retorted. "Kate's just trying to get attention. I, for one, am not going to play her little drama queen game."

"Kate's not you, alright?" I shook my head in disbelief. "This could be a lead," I bolted outside, shoving passed anyone in my way. I wasn't sure what I would find by myself, but I had to try. As I launched myself out the front doors, I found Deputy Silverhawk still standing next to her patrol car. The other two had left nearly half an hour ago, so I don't know why she was hanging around, but it was my luck that she was. "Wait! Deputy!" I sprinted over to her, a bit out of breath. The mansion was bigger than I'd thought, and that hallway was rather long…

She turned as she was about to open her door. "Can I help you?" she asked.

When I caught my breath, I started explaining. "I've been investigating and-"

" _You've_ been investigating?" she asked, clearly shocked.

I nodded. "I'm a reporter, and Kate's best friend. Honestly, I think I have a lead. Please, say you'll look into it," I pleaded.

She put her hand up to stop me. "Listen, Chief Walsh, in his infinite wisdom, has decided that we should… how did he put it? 'Steer clear of this pile of…'," she paused. "Let's just pretend he finished that sentence with 'manure'," she looked completely annoyed with the Chief's decision.

"Will _you_ hear me out?" I asked earnestly.

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder down the long driveway. "Fine, but be quick. I've already stayed longer than I should have," she leaned against the car door and crossed her arms.

I nodded again. "Thank you. I just found out that Kate was talking on her cellphone _minutes_ before the wedding started," I began. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "She was all the way out there," I pointed towards the tree line at the edge of the property, "at the edge of the woods. I dare you to tell me that doesn't seem strange."

"Well, it's certainly unexpected," she put her thumb to her chin, thinking.

"Chief Walsh said you guys were going to search the grounds. Did you search that area? Maybe she left something behind," I reasoned, truly hoping she'd help me, and Kate, out.

She shook her head. "No, we stuck much nearer to the main property, but I'm really not sure what you think we'll find… and Walsh expects me back at the station."

"We won't find anything if we don't look," I said bluntly. "If something _has_ happened, every minute counts," I frowned. "If it turns out we could have done something to help her and we didn't… I wouldn't ever forgive myself. I'd regret it until the end of my life."

Silverhawk glanced out over the grounds, evidently lost in thought. "You have a point," she spoke softly. "The last thing I need is more regrets."

"So, you'll help me?" I asked, practically begging.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips, an almost superhero-like pose. "Chief Walsh specifically said this investigation was closed, but if I listened to everything guys like him told me, I'd still be a waitress in Wyoming." I grinned widely. "Come on. Let's check it out."

I thanked her about four or more times while we walked towards the thick edge of the woods on the manor grounds. "I'm Tanner, by the way," I introduced myself, thinking it would be awkward for her to shout 'hey, you' if she found anything. She turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "Tanner Murphy… from Brooklyn," I added.

She smiled and gave a small laugh. "Thanks for clarifying. I'm Naomi Silverhawk," she said as we reached the end of the open lawn. We looked around, inspecting every root along the tree line for anything we could find that wasn't supposed to be there. Everything looked normal… I was starting to lose hope. "Hey, see that?" Deputy Silverhawk pointed towards a broken branch. I looked around where she was pointing. The bush next to the branch was completely ruffled, like someone had fallen into it.

"Woah, check this out," I moved a section of the bush out of the way to reveal a large footprint in the mud.

"That's a big print. Almost certainly a man's boot," she said, squatting next to me to get a closer look. "It's fresh. Can't be more than a few hours old."

"Oh my god, whoever left this might have taken Kate," my thoughts spiraled out of control as to what could have happened to her. None of them were good.

"Maybe," she said, "or maybe it could belong to a gardener or wedding guest." As she spoke, a loud crack thundered across the sky and thick gray clouds circled overhead. "A storm is coming. It'll wash away the trail," she frowned, looking up at the sky as a water droplet landed on her cheek.

"Crap," I pulled out my phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked, standing up to look for more prints.

I turned my phone sideways and aimed it at the dirt. "I'm taking a picture. I've seen enough C.S.I to know that much," I snapped three, just to be sure one came out clearly. "If the rain washes it away, we can't come back to it."

She looked impressed. "Alright, come on. We have to follow this trail before it's gone," she began walking in the direction the first print was pointing in, soon finding another further into the woods. I followed her, pushing through the undergrowth.

"I can't imagine Kate out here in her dress, or really ever. She was never the outdoorsy type," I ducked under a low tree limb, but a briar snagged my suit as I went to stand back up. "Really?" I mumbled, looking at the fresh tear on my sleeve.

"What about you?" she asked, seeing me glare at the thorns.

"Me? I love to hike, don't get me wrong, just not in a suit," I brushed it off and kept going. "Living in the city is amazing, but I miss the woods. Central Park just doesn't compare," I looked down to see if I could find anything while we were walking.

She gave a warm giggle. "I hear you. I feel the same about Wyoming. There are more woods here, which is nice in its own way, but there's so much less sky."

"That sounds almost poetic," I laughed.

After a brief silence between us, she asked, "So, you're a reporter?"

"Yeah," I answered, following her over the deadfall and leaves. "Right now, I mostly cover local politics, but I enjoy the stories with more of an investigative angle. Watergate, for instance," I explained. "Woodward and Bernstein are my heroes." I caught up to her. "How about you? How long have you been a cop?"

"Three years," she said. "Though only a month here in Bridgeport."

"Why the sudden move?" I asked. She bit her cheek, reluctant to answer.

She stopped and knelt down, turning to me with a smile. "More prints," she pointed to the mud.

"You're pretty good at this," I smiled. "I wouldn't have noticed that."

She smirked. "I spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid."

A flash of white light blinded us for a moment. I looked up to see the lightning receding. Seconds later, a thunderclap signaled a downpour.

"Crap!" I shouted, the rain on my face echoing loudly.

"That came on way faster than I expected!" she shouted back at me. "We need to find shelter." I could barely see. Where were we supposed to go? I followed her as we trudged forward. Suddenly, she stopped and pointed to a small wooden cabin. "We should stop there. We could wait out the storm. It's our best chance of picking up the trail later." She was right. Turning back now would lose us the progress we'd made. I nodded and we ran towards the cabin. As we got closer, I could see the wear and tear on the wood and glass windows. This place hadn't been used in quite some time. The deputy kicked in the door, after finding the handle jammed, and we both scurried inside.

The only thing in the cabin, other than spiderwebs, was a small pile of logs near the fireplace. Everything else was emptied out. We sat down against the wall, shivering from the wind creeping through the wood. I leaned over the fireplace and began putting my Boy Scout Merit Badges to work.

"Whose cabin do you think this is?" I asked, stacking the wood in the stone alcove.

She looked out the window, fogged over with dirt and dead bugs. "I think this is still Sterling land. Maybe it's and outpost for the gardener, or maybe some Sterling ancestor's private getaway…"

"Like a hunting cabin?" I suggested. She nodded. The wood was dry, but it wasn't taking to my lighter. "You wouldn't happen to have any paper or trash with you, would you?" I asked over my shoulder. She took a second then pulled out a news paper section she'd had folded in her pocket and handed it to me. "How funny," I mused looking down at the paper. "I'll be lighting my own paper on fire," I snickered as I lit it and tucked it into the gap under the wood. When the fire was roaring, we slumped against the wall together. It was still a bit cold, but that's because we were soaking wet. I slipped my blazer off and set it near the fireplace. "Too bad we don't have marshmallows," I joked as she twisted the water out of her long black hair onto the floor.

"I'll come prepared next time," she smiled.

"I'm sorry for dragging you out here, Deputy Silverhawk," I said, not really sorry about the reason, but I still felt bad.

"Naomi, please," she said, her teeth starting to chatter. "I-it got-t really co-old in here," she pulled her knees to her chest. She was adorable.

I extended my arm to her, beckoning her in with my fingers. "You know, penguins huddle together to stay warm in the winter and theirs is a lot worse than this," I joked as she hesitantly inched into my embrace. I wrapped her tightly in my arm and rubbed her shoulder.

"L-ooks like we're going to be stuck here for a while," she said, slowly starting to relax. A few minutes later, she was resting her head on my shoulder and had stopped shivering. I poked at the fire with one of the other logs quickly, so it wouldn't catch. "We should find a way to pass the time," she suggested.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

She thought for a moment, her arms wrapped around her knees. "How about you tell me something surprising about yourself?"

I chuckled. "Surprising? Alright. Um," I took a second to choose one of my more fun characteristics. "I'm the biggest videogame nerd ever," I decided was the easiest one to explain.

"Really?" she looked up at me. "I never would have guessed. You don't look like the type." I shrugged. "I never really go the appeal, but I guess I never really tried," she looked back down at her hands.

"What about you? What's interesting about Naomi?" I shot back at her.

She bit her lip, looking insecure for the first time since we'd met. "I read a _lot_ of romance novels," she blushed.

I laughed on accident, making her look up at me with a shy irritation. "Sorry! I just didn't get that vibe from you at all."

She smiled. "Yeah, the uniform throws people off the scent."

"Brilliant disguise. So, why romances? Why not Sci-Fi or auto-biographies?" I inquired.

She grinned widely. "Honestly, I'm just a sucker for the happy endings," she looked so happy thinking about it. I couldn't help but smile with her.

Soon, the fire started dying down. The logs were burning though faster than I'd anticipated. The wood must have been drier than I thought. I threw the last two logs on and hoped that the storm would end soon.

"Those were the last logs," she pointed out.

"If this goes on much longer, we can just pry up the floorboards," I joked. We both laughed. I rubbed her shoulder one more time. "Feeling warmer?" She nodded, but didn't move out of my reach, so I didn't move either. A few more minutes dragged on before the rain began to die down. I tapped her shoulder. "We should keep looking," I said, pulling my arm back.

She nodded and stood up, regaining her superhero composure. "Of course."

I doused the fire using some of the rainwater that fell into a broken bucket just under the edge of the roof near the door. I grabbed my blazer, hanging it over my shoulder, and started walking out, but Naomi had stopped to look up around the doorframe.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Look," she pointed to just above the door. "Something's been carved into the wall."

I squinted until I saw it. "It's Russian," I said bluntly, wondering why someone had written in Russian on the cabin of an upper-class American family.

"I don't suppose that means you can read it?" she asked, taking a picture of it with her phone.

I shook my head. "I can tell you what sounds the letters make, but I can't tell you what I means, unfortunately," I bit the inside of my cheek in thought. "Now I'm regretting taking Spanish in high school," I joked. "The Sterlings are Russian, are they?"

"Not as far as I know," she shrugged.

"I wonder who carved it," I thought aloud.

"I have no idea, but this may not have anything to do with Kate's disappearance," she said, slipping outside.

The rain had come to a complete stop by the time we got back on the trail. We wandered in the same direction as before for a while, but didn't see anything new. "I think we lost the trail," I sighed.

"You might be right," she stopped and ran a hand through her hair. "Hold on," she squinted down the slope towards a small opening in the trees. "There's something out of place down there," she said before gracefully sliding on her heel down the muddy hillside.

"Wait up!" I ran after her, sliding not so gracefully down the hill, but making it just as well. "Didn't realize we'd be taking the Tough Mudder obstacle course."

"Do you smell that?" she put her nose in the air, completely in the zone. "It's exhaust."

"That's recent if it's still hanging around," I looked around frantically, but there was no-one there but us. No cars, no bike, no people. Just us.

"Here! Tire tracks!" she squatted down next to the muddy imprint. "These can't be but an hour old."

I squinted passed her. "What's that?" I stepped over the tracks, looking at… "Oh my god," I picked up the long lace that used to be white. "It's her veil," I choked out, feeling that sinking feeling I'd tried to outrun since she disappeared. The peach florets were covered in mud. "If it's out here near these tracks…," I didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Then I think you've been right to be worried," she put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Tanner… but I think your friend has be kidnapped."

I could feel myself shaking. My worst thoughts were jumping to the forefront of my mind. Kate was in _big_ trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Naomi and I headed straight into Walsh's office with Kate's veil in an evidence bag and the pictures we'd taken on our phones. If this didn't convince him to start looking for Kate, I didn't know what would. Then again, Walsh would probably just make some excuse… he managed to find holes everywhere. Who was he protecting?

As we walked into the precinct, Duffy caught our eyes. He was standing near the door making coffee. "Oh, uh, the Chief isn't taking-," he started, but Naomi wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. She pushed straight passed him when he stepped in front of her and stormed straight over to Walsh's desk.

He glared at me. "You again?" At least he remembered me, unlike Mr. Sterling.

"Sir," Naomi began, "we found clear evidence of foul play at the Sterling estate." She stood tall over his desk, not backing down.

"Why were you investigating that scene?" he scolded. "Did I not tell everyone to go back to the station? Including you, Silverhawk?" he was about to take a sip out of his coffee mug, but realized it was empty. His irritated gaze shot to Duffy at the far end of the station.

"Yes, Chief, but Tanner," she looked over her shoulder at me, "shared a piece of information with me that prompted-," she was cut off.

"Tanner? You're not Tanner," the chief grumbled at me.

I sighed, completely fed up with this town and them all only knowing one person by that name. "Tanner Murphy," I introduced myself. "You might remember me better as ' _you again_ '," I tried very hard to not roll my eyes or make unnecessary noises.

"And why are you interfering with my investigation, _Tanner Murphy_?" he spat my name mockingly.

I laughed briefly. " _Your_ investigation? You couldn't get out of their fast enough. Kate is missing and you didn't even search the grounds. It's pretty clear that you have no interest in actually figuring out what's going on, so here," I waved the evidence bag with the veil in it in front of me before throwing it lightly on top of the notebook in front of him. "We found _this_ out in the woods at the edge of the property buried in the mud under some fresh tire tracks. Feel free to pick up the investigation from here."

His face burned red as he stood up out of his chair and slammed his hands on the desk. "Who do you think you are?" he demanded.

"Other than Kate's best friend who's worried sick about her," I started, "I'm a reporter for the New York Herald, and I know my way around _lazy_ cops," I spat, not losing eye contact for a second.

He stood up straight, clearly shocked. "A reporter?" he turned to Naomi. "Silverhawk, why are you fraternizing with reporters?" he huffed. "You know the rules. I could fire you for this."

"Do it," she leaned forward on our end of the desk and locked eyes with him. "Fire me, and if… no… _when_ whatever happened to this girl comes to light, enjoy the blowback for quashing an active investigation." I hadn't been this happy to have someone on my side in a while. She was a good choice. Walsh let out a long, heavy breath, glaring between the two of us. "Chief, I wouldn't waste your time. You need to see this through," she pointed to the veil.

Walsh picked up the bag and looked it over for a second. I thought for a second that he might actually take this seriously. He turned the bag, seeming to look at every detail in thought. "Mhm, yup," he said with a nod, but then he laughed. "As much as I admire your Nancy Drew-ing, as a _real_ detective, I see a far more likely explanation," he smirked. I clenched my jaw, trying hard not to punch this guy… Now I knew what Flynn felt like with Bryce… "Isn't it obvious? Your bride ran off with another man," he laughed again and threw the veil back down on the other side of the desk. "Had him meet her out in the woods, so she wouldn't have to face the consequences, or the Sterlings. The veil fell off, but what does she care at that point, am I right?"

" _Real_ detective," I mocked. "You wouldn't know a _real_ detective if he punched you in the face," I sneered.

Naomi held up a hand to shut me up. "We can't determine any of that from the evidence," she said to Walsh with a clear, yet harsh tone.

"Who are you protecting?" I squinted, trying to see through his lies.

He waved me off. "You're wasting my time. If 24 hours go by and there's still no sign of her, come back and file a report," he sat back down and propped his feet up on the corner of his desk. "Till then, I'm gonna need you to leave my officers alone," he glared up at me. "We've got real police work to do, Clark Kent."

Duffy cleared his throat and approached the desk timidly. "Sir, maybe we should-"

"Don't start with me, Duffy. Isn't there an empty coffee pot somewhere that needs you?" Walsh spat.

Duffy lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

"But," Naomi spoke up, "the evidence could be contaminated if we-"

"Drop it, Silverhawk, or I'll suspend your ass," his eyes were on fire, like he'd been _looking_ for a time to get rid of her.

"She's just doing her job," I said.

His gaze shot to me with the same intensity. "Her _job_ isn't listening to some high-fallutin' New York reporter. It's whatever I damn well tell her it is." His fat face softened into an evil smile. "Speaking of, Silverhawk, you're on traffic detail downtown. Bring your sunglasses. I hear it's a scorcher out there," he laughed.

I stared down at him, rage in my words as I spoke low enough for only us to hear. "If _anything_ happens to Kate, her blood will be on your hands. Have fun living with that." I turned to walk away, hoping my implied threat hit him. If she was harmed, I'd have no problem going to prison.

Walsh sniffed and waved off my words like smoke in the air. I tried to calm myself as I headed towards the exit, Naomi on my heel.

"I'm sorry, Tanner," she said, a hand on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault. You tried your best. I get the whole 'my boss hates me' thing," I reassured her.

"I haven't done my best yet, but I will," she whispered with determination. I smiled. I wasn't giving up, so it was nice to have someone who had my back. "We'll find her, I promise." She pushed me out the door gently, noticing Walsh stomping up behind her. She flashed me a reassuring smile before closing the door.

I pulled out my phone once I reached the curb to call a cab, but before I could even unlock it, a black Lexus squealed to a halt in front of me, nearly ridding up on the curb. I took a step back as the window rolled down.

"Get in," Bryce ordered before leaning over the center console to open the passenger door. "Now," he added when he noticed I wasn't moving.

"Um, no," I said bluntly, thinking about all of the reasons why it wasn't a good idea.

He growled. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, Tanner. Believe me, you do _not_ want to piss off my family," he spat.

I put my phone back in my jacket pocket. "Look, I'm not trying to piss anyone off. I just don't want to be in a car with _you_ ," I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"I don't give a damn what you want!" he shouted, making passersby look cautiously towards us. "Now get it!"

"Why?" I asked.

"Father wants to speak to you," he withdrew a bit.

 _I've been summoned?_ I shrugged. "Well, if that's the case," I walked around the car and slid into the passenger seat. Before I even closed the door, the car began to move, squeaking around the corner as he burned the tires. I fastened my seatbelt as quickly as I could. He still smelt like liquor. This wasn't going to be fun at all.

"Is this fun for you? Making more drama for my family?" he barked at me as he spun the wheel along the winding road.

"Fun isn't the word I'd choose," I said, trying to not throw up. "I'm just worried about Kate, since no-one else seems to be," I looked out the window to try to save my stomach content, not that I had eaten much…

"Ha!" he snorted. "She bolted when she realized she couldn't cut it. Case closed, Sherlock."

"I've already found evidence to the contrary," I replied, knowing it was futile to argue with this buffoon.

"If I wanted to hear your half-baked conspiracy theories, I'd ask. Doesn't anyone teach people like you social cues?" he grumbled.

I smiled. "I'm a reporter. I'm trained to ignore those," I chuckled, which was a mistake because he made another turn that choked me up while I had my guard down. "Am I allowed to ask you to slow down and stop driving like a lunatic or is that a dreadful faux pas?"

He replied softer than I expected. "When Father says now, he means now."

I sat silently for the rest of the drive, wondering why Pierce Sterling would summon _me_ and why his son was so scared of him. After a few more gut-wrenching maneuvers, Bryce pulled into the long driveway and screeched to a stop by the imposing entrance of the manor. He got out, slamming his door, and I followed suit, only a bit nicer to the car. It had already been through so much…

"Follow me," he ordered, and I did so quietly. He led me down two or three hallways until we arrived in what must have been Pierce Sterling's study. It was gorgeous. There were bookshelves lining the walls, filled with ship's instruments and trinkets dating back to the 1700's, and a sharp looking mahogany desk. Behind the desk was a glass case filled with model ships, detailed down to the smallest feature, each from a different era. "Wait here," Bryce instructed. I stayed put, but let my eyes wander until they landed on one ship in particular.

"Hello, Mr. Murphy," the tall, grey aristocrat greeted me as he glided into his study. He extended his hand to me. After we shook, his eyes found the same ship I'd been staring at. "I see this one has drawn your attention," he pointed to it before tucking his hands behind his back once more. "It is a scale model of _The Endurance_ , the vessel my ancestor, Magnus Sterling, captained to this country," he explained.

"It's quite a ship," I said, impressed. "I would have loved to see it up close."

He smirked. "But you can. It's down by the docks. I suggest a trip there during your stay."

"Seems like the Sterling's History with Bridgeport goes back quite a ways," I looked around the room again.

His smile faded. "The Sterlings put Bridgeport on the map, Tanner. Literally," his pompous side was beginning to show again. "In just a few years, Magnus transformed it from a few rows of decrepit beach shacks to a thriving port town. Without us… Well, this place wouldn't exist," he gestured to a frame on the wall containing two maps, one labeled 1609 and the other 1655. The town only appears on the second map, marked with trading routs flowing from the town to Europe and beyond.

"That's truly impressive," I inspected the maps, noting their restoration before being put in the frame.

"Yes, it is. And we continue to be the driving force behind Bridgeport's prosperity," he held his chin high. "We're almost singlehandedly responsible for maintain the port, the shops downtown, really everything that keeps this town from withering on the vine."

I turned to face him again. "You know what they say. 'With great power comes great responsibility', and all that."

He narrowed his eyes a bit, looking down his long nose at me. "My family's _responsibility_ is evident in the new library, the theater, the parks…," he trailed off. "We've always taken care of the people here, and they know we always will."

"I see," I said, knowing that his way of seeing it was much different than the way others saw it. _Owning_ the town didn't mean the same to the rich as it did to the poor.

"Remember, Mr. Murphy, that you are here in Bridgeport as our _guest_ ," he emphasized. I didn't like his tone. "And a guest should know better than to pry into the host's affairs."

I stood tall and put my hands in my pockets. "If that's how you feel, Mr. Sterling, you can take my stay off your tab," I held my chin high to meet his. I wasn't going to be looked down at. I'd worked too hard for that.

"Excuse me?" he gasped, clearly taken aback.

I didn't back down. "I never asked for your charity, Mr. Sterling. I can pay my own way," I said, using the best word I could find for 'placement under your thumb'.

"Surely there is no need for," he started, still shocked.

I rocked on my heels a bit. "Sir, if pretending the disappearance of my best friend is one of the conditions, then I shouldn't stay here under the title of 'guest'," I replied eloquently.

His expression hardened. "You're making a colossal mistake, Mr. Murphy. One which you apparently refuse to be dissuaded from." He paused for a moment, then continued. "I'll have that woman who owns the B-and-B switch the account to you at once."

"Please do," I replied without hesitation.

A knock on the door kept him from saying more. Margret Sterling stepped in, nodding courteously to me before turning to Pierce.

"Pierce, something's… come up… concerning Tanner. I'm afraid it's urgent," she spoke lowly, but sternly.

Mr. Sterling sighed. "How foolish of me, thinking I had at least _one_ son I could count on…" He turned to me. "Please, excuse us, Mr. Murphy. We should discuss this somewhere more… private," he nodded curtly.

"Of course," I nodded back as he and Margret turned to leave. "I hope Tanner is alright."

"I'm sure you can show yourself out," was the last thing he said before closing the door behind him.

I was going to show myself out… but only after I took a better look around. A rich man's study was a treasure trove of secrets waiting to be found, and, as a reporter, I wasn't above snooping. I went to the bookshelf first, running my fingers along the spines, reading the titles. The entirety of it was nonfiction, as expected. Histories, biographies, old notes, and of course plenty of 'rah, rah, capitalism' options that didn't surprise me in the least. A word passed through my head; Ulysses. Was it a book maybe? I looked through the titles again, but nothing even hinted towards any of the texts that could be relevant. I finished circling the room, looking at the portraits on the walls of dour-faced Sterling ancestors in ornate frames. The last one in the row was Magnus; his cold eyes made me shiver.

"Something tells me kindness wasn't your strong suit, Magnus," I spoke in a hushed tone towards the painting, half expecting him to spit at me. I worked my way to the desk, the place where all of and intelligent man's thoughts were crammed. The desk drawer slid open with ease, revealing a mess of office supplies. It appeared to have been straightened at one point, but either closed too many times since or slammed the last time, leaving the ordered contents in disarray. I tried to slide the drawer out more, but there was nothing else… except that the drawer was shallower inside than it was on the outside. I pulled the drawer off of it's track and emptied it out onto the floor, hoping the carpet would void any unnecessary noises. I pulled out the false bottom, revealing a folder. Inside were papers written in some sort of complicated code, much like a computer code, but more than just ones and zeros. I tucked the folder under my arm and reorganized the drawer to about the way it was before I came along, sliding it back into place.

The only other place that seemed suspicious, though I wasn't sure how much time I had, was the cabinet built into the wall. There were three drawers at the bottom, the first containing old maps and the second with a small jewelry box. _A jewelry box hidden in the drawer of a study? That seems out of place_. I opened it and found a locket nestled into a velvet cushion with the initials A.A. engraved on the front. It had to belong to someone close to Pierce. I took a picture of it with my phone before setting the box back where I found it. As I was going for the third drawer, a clock from the hallway made me jump as it chimed. I tucked the folder into my blazer and decided to leave the room.

I may have said that I could show myself out, but I was honestly in way over my head in this mansion. I ended up in a long hallway, unable to tell which door let to the entrance hall. I decided to just try a door and ended up peering into a room filled with trophies; polo, lacrosse… So many lacrosse trophies…

"What are _you_ still doing here," a familiar voice caused me to close the door. Margret had found me, her arms crossed and her foot tapping.

"Oh, thank god you're here. I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm completely lost," I smiled nervously and rubbed the back of my neck. She scoffed at me. "Um, since we're here," I pointed towards the room, "that's a lot of trophies. Mind if I ask?"

She smirked. "Sterling men have competed in the Bridgeport Open every year since its founding by Archibald Sterling in 1923," she explained. "We like to celebrate their accomplishments, and of course Tanner and Bryce's lacrosse achievements are important as well," she reopened the door and gestured for me to follow her, "but this," she showed me a wall of trophies from floor to ceiling, "this is all mine."

The glass case was filled with tennis trophies labeled 'Margret Van Dyke'. "Wow, Mrs. Sterling," I mused. "You must have been a hell of a tennis player."

"One of the best in my day," she held her head high. "I could have gone pro," her eyes filled with light for the first time since I'd met her, but the light soon died and, though her face was still stern, her eyes showed me her sorrow. "But I sacrificed all that to become a Sterling, such is the price of being part of this family, you know." Irritation broke her composure. "Of course, Kate never understood the idea of sacrifice. It was a source of strain between her and Tanner," she explained, getting my attention.

"She never mentioned that," I said, looking back at the trophies. I wondered why she hadn't told me, but I guess it was difficult if she really _didn't_ think we were that close anymore… I wished she had just called me.

"I'm sure she wouldn't. It must have been… embarrassing for her," Margret assumed. "They both tried, of course, but in the end maybe they were just too different," she lowered her head in thought, sadness crossing her face once more. "Perhaps I should be more grateful it ended this way. At least there won't be a divorce," she raised her head. "Those are always so distasteful… and costly." While I was trying to think of a nice way to respond to that, a maid came into the room with a feather duster. Margret tensed up a bit before saying, "Now, if you'll excuse me… er… Murphy, was it?" I nodded. "Maria, would you please show Mr. Murphy to the front door? Apparently it's easy to lose one's way at Sterling Manor," she instructed before striding away.

The maid led me to the door in utter silence. I wanted to ask her if she knew anything, since the maids usually do know everything, but she practically shoved me out the door, gently of course. The air was brisk, making me shiver a bit. I walked down the stairs and pulled out my phone to call a cab, but it rang before I could.

"Hello?" I asked, not recognizing the number.

"Hey, it's Grant," a familiar and warm voice touched my ears. "This _is_ Tanner, right?"

I let out a slight chuckle. "Yeah, it's me. How did you get my number, Grant Emerson? I don't recall you asking me for it."

He laughed. "Well, let's just say Ms. Harlenay isn't exactly a tough nut to crack, but let's not dwell on my devious number-sleuthing skills. How are you holding up?" he asked.

I sighed. "Honestly, it's been a long day. I'm more sure than ever that something is up, but I can't get anyone to take me seriously." I began walking down the long driveway, not wanting to be overheard if this conversation kept going the way it was going.

"I asked around a bit, just to see if anyone had heard anything," he said, "but so far, all I've turned up is a lot of dead ends."

"Thanks for trying, Grant. It means a lot that I'm not the only one worried about her," I rubbed my forehead, feeling a bit of relief for the first time in several hours, though, now that I was coming down from my adrenaline rush, I was starting to get a headache.

"Of course. Kate's my friend, too, after all," I could hear seagulls squawking in the background. "Anyway, since I can't offer you a lead, maybe I can help take your mind off of things for a bit?"

"How so?" I asked.

"I'm down at the marina. Bridgeport's Festival of Ships is going on right now. It's a bit corny, but it's actually a lot of fun," he sounded like he was in a crowd. How could he even think of having fun when his friend is missing?

I sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe taking a break will help me clear my head and make some sense of everything."

"That mean's you'll join me, right?" he asked hopefully. "Dinner's on me, and, trust me, if there's one thing a rich seaside town can offer, it's a great meal."

"That seems like a bribe," I joked. "You should know better, Mr. Defense Lawyer."

He laughed, but his tone hushed suddenly. "I can also let you in on what's been going on with Kate recently."

That piqued my interest more than the food. "Yeah, okay. I need to make a stop first, but I'll meet you down there."

"Great," he sounded like he was smiling. "Looking forward to it."

A quick cab ride later, I was back at the inn. Ms. Harlenay was behind the counter, ready to greet me. "Good evening, Tanner," she spoke softly. "Any word on Kate?"

I shook my head solemnly. "Nothing yet, but I won't give up. You seem to be the only other person who cares that she's gone," I said.

"Oh, I don't know about that," she started. "Her regular clients are all in a tizzy."

"Oh, right! The Tasty Pastry!" I remembered suddenly. I'd had so much to drink the night before, that I almost didn't remember. "Is anyone manning the shop?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, dear. She had been planning to head out on her honeymoon, so it's closed now anyway," she raised a hand to ease my worry.

I sighed. "Well, that's a relief," I frowned. "I wish there was more I could do…"

She beamed up at me. "I'll tell you, sitting here and wallowing about it certainly won't help, but I'm guessing you've already made plans," she wagged her eyebrows and I raised mine. "A certain handsome someone may have stopped by to see you earlier."

"Grant Emerson," I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Oh," she swooned, "if I were your age, I'd be on that boy like ketchup on a corndog. Handsome, sweet, and richer than Robin Hood!" I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "And of course, he doesn't have that Sterling baggage," she waved her hand in front of her nose like she smelt something awful.

"Wow, have you started a fan club yet?" I couldn't avoid laughing.

"Not yet, but, honey it's coming," she grinned. "By the way," she went back to business and looked down at her binder. "I received a note today from the Sterlings. It says I'm to shift payment for the room over to you? Is… Is everything alright?"

"It's fine now that Pierce Sterling doesn't have a pin on me," I replied.

She nodded in understanding. "I see your point. You know, I always did think Sterling was the wrong name for that family. More like Gildings, or maybe Base-Alloys," she joked, making me smile again.

"Especially Bryce," I jabbed. "I have to go get ready. It's been a pleasure, as always, Ms. Harlenay," I smiled and waved a brief goodbye before heading up to my room. I threw the folder I'd stolen onto the table in the corner before changing out of my suit, which was practically ruined from the rain, tear, and mud. My shoes would need some proper care before I wore them again. I changed into something a lot more casual before going out again to meet with Grant.

It took me a little while to get to the Marina. It was within walking distance, but I got lost when I thought I didn't need my phone anymore, and I wasn't sure where exactly to meet him. I stopped for a minute to look out over the docks. It was beautiful. The sea was sparkling in the light from the end of the sunset and the rise of the moon, and the spotlights coming from a few of the fishing boats. The breeze hit my ears, carrying the soft melody of a string quartet that played a few piers down from where I was.

"Tanner!" I heard from behind me. I spun around to see Grant jogging towards me across the street. "I was starting to get worried," he smiled.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I kind of got lost… again…," I mumbled the last part.

"Don't worry about it. I know how to make myself useful," he said and I noticed his sleeves were rolled up and a bit wet.

He led me to an outdoor restaurant, and we sat down at a candlelit table that already had two glasses of champagne ready. I snorted on accident. "Show off," I laughed.

"Come on," he gestured to the area. "Admit it, you're a little bit impressed."

"Check in with me after the meal," I chuckled again when I took my seat. The restaurant had a great view of the piers and the waves. "Is every view great in this town?"

"Just about," he leaned back in his chair, taking up his glass of champagne. I sipped on mine, too. It was pretty good. "So, what do you think about the town so far?"

I pursed my lips a bit. "It's not easy for outsiders," I said, taking another, slightly longer, sip of my drink.

"I'm guessing you had the pleasure of meeting the illustrious police chief?" he frowned.

I looked out to the edge of the water. "Oh, yeah. Real charmer, that one. I also had a forced sit-down with Pierce Sterling, which was fun after his son practically ran me off the road."

"I'm guessing that went just as well," he swirled his drink around the glass.

"That's putting it lightly. I got what I'm sure is the standard Sterling lecture. 'We build this town, we run this town, know your place'," I mocked. "Complete with thinly-veiled threats." I noticed the look on his face and caught myself. "Let's not talk about that anymore. You called me out here for a break."

"That's the spirit," he smirked as a waiter came over and put a plate of crostini topped with goat cheese, hazelnut, and roasted onions on the table. The first bite felt like heaven. There was so much flavor.

"Holy… this is probably the best food to ever food," I joked, shoveling in another bite.

Grant chuckled. "It's okay, but the title of 'best food to ever food' is still reserved for my crab cakes."

"Sounding a bit cocky there, aren't we?" I asked, then realized who I was talking to. "Wait, you cook? I thought rich boys had people for that," I joked.

He laughed into his drink. "Well, I mean, Maria is great, but I don't _always_ let her cook for me," he said, dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. I couldn't tell if he was joking.

We both laughed a bit more over our dinner until a thought shot through me like lightning, shocking me back into reality. _Kate would love this._ I frowned and put my fork down, suddenly not feeling up to eating.

Grant's eyes found mine and matched my sorrow. "You're thinking about Kate, aren't you?"

I nodded. "It's hard not to. I'm so worried," I folded my napkin and placed it on the table next to my glass. "I really want to relax and enjoy a night out, but…"

"It's fine. I get it," his sympathetic look made me mad at myself, but I didn't feel guilty about thinking of Kate. "Is there anything you want to know about her life here? Any questions at all? I _did_ say I'd tell you, and an Emerson is always true to their word."

I thought about all the questions I had and tried to narrow them down. Thinking of it as an interview helped me detach from it a bit, making it easier to process. "Well, does she have any enemies?" I finally asked.

"No," he shook his head immediately. "Not really. I mean, she's Kate. Everyone loves her."

I narrowed my eyes at him a bit suspiciously. "Not _really_? Does that mean she might have?"

"It's just," he thought for a second, leaning back in his chair, "enemies is a strong word, you know. Sure, there were people who didn't like her, but… I don't think they'd do something like this."

"Even though I know some things have changed, I find it hard to believe anybody could dislike her," I thought back to our college days when even the people who thought she was over the top still smiled at her.

"It's not her fault," he explained. "When she and Tanner got engaged, it ruffled a lot of feathers. Folks on the rich side of town thought she was a gold-digger, and down at the docks… well," he trailed off.

"They thought she was a sell out," I finished for him and he gave a brief nod.

"There's a big difference between judging someone and being their enemy. Much less meaning them harm," he looked down at his hand.

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Yeah, I get it. It's just, the thought of people being mean to Kate… just seems…"

"Like punching a baby unicorn," he ended my thought perfectly.

"Yeah," I finished off what little champagne I had left. "So, what do you think happened? Do you think she'd just run off?" I asked, wondering if he had the same thought process as everyone else seemed to.

He shook his head. "Never in a million years," he said adamantly. "Kate had her flaws, as do we all, but she loved Tanner. She would never leave like that," he paused for a long moment, his expression hardening, "unless…"

"Unless what?" I leaned forward, hoping against all hope that this would help me.

He sighed. "Unless something made her change her mind about him. About them," he looked up at my face. "Honestly, I don't think that's what happened. I'm just playing devil's advocate, I guess. Forget I said anything. It's just my 'lawyer' showing."

I stared down at my plate angrily. "I just hate feeling like I can't do anything to help her. And of course the Sterlings are basically ordering me to step off," I began ranting again. He really was easy to talk to.

"Something tells me you're planning on ignoring that directive," he smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I played dumb and we both laughed for a moment. "Seriously, though. There's something I'm missing. Some detail that no-one's brought up that might help me figure this out," I started to go over everything I'd learned throughout the day, staring intensely down at my hands.

Grant looked up in thought. "Well, she did ask me over to her apartment the other day. She seemed upset," he began.

"Her apartment?" I snapped out of my thoughts. "She still had an apartment down here?"

"Yes?" he looked at me questioningly. "I thought you knew."

I shook my head. "I just assumed she lived with the Sterlings."

"She did, most of the time, but she kept her own apartment for when she needed space," he explained.

I sat up straight and leaned onto the table. "This is fantastic! There might be a clue there; something no-one's found yet!" I could feel the life coming back to me. No more hopelessness. I had to find her. "I'm sorry to cut the night short, but I have to go there. What's the address?"

"I-I'll text it to you," he said, astonished by my new drive. "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook," he forced a smile. "This evening isn't over, just on pause."

I nodded thankfully before practically bolting out of the restaurant and towards downtown. I ran the whole way, not even stopping to take a breath. This was it. This was the lead I needed. I arrived at the modest looking apartment building, a refurbished house from colonial days, and walked up to her unit. I don't know what I had expected from trying the front door. Sure, it was a fairly nice neighborhood, but Kate wasn't _that_ flakey. Especially if she only came here on her off days. I looked around, wondering if maybe she'd left a window open. Even if she didn't, opening one from the outside wasn't terribly difficult. I'd locked myself out of my apartment in Brooklyn loads of times and had to break into my own flat.

As I rounded the corner, I saw something I hadn't expected this late in the evening. A man was standing near a bush, looking up at her window. As I got closer, I realized he was in all black and a ski mask. I didn't have to be a city boy to know what that meant.

"Hey, you!" I shouted, but I wasn't fast enough to stop him from slamming a crowbar into the glass. He turned and saw me after his swing. "Oh my god, get away for there!" I began to run towards him. I heard him cuss under his breath before dropping the crowbar and taking off down the alley on the other side of the building. He knocked over a trashcan, trying to block me, but tall guys have long legs. I leaped over it and continued after him until he got to a fence, blocking him from the main street.

"Back off!" he shouted before jumping the fence like a pro. _Not a chance._ I looked around quickly after remembering I was in short sleeves and grabbed a rag that was hanging out of the dumpster. I threw it up over the barbed wire lining the top of the fence and cleared it just as effortlessly. _Jumping a fence is everyday life in the city._ He began zipping through the four-lane traffic on the road intersecting the alley. I jumped out after him, not even thinking about the cars. "What the hell?" he glanced over his shoulder. A loud horn blared in my ears, making me look up straight into the headlights of a truck. Jumped out of the way, barely getting nicked by the mirror as the truck began to stop. _I don't have time for this._ I looked around, spotting the guy just down the road gawking at me, completely frozen. I took the opportunity to jump him, tackling him to the ground. "Get off me!" he shouted.

"Who are you?" I pulled off his mask… "Flynn?"

He looked up at me, clearly pissed off. "Well, this is awkward," he looked away.

"Flynn, what are you doing? Why did you break Kate's window?" I asked, still shocked that her own brother would break into her apartment.

He looked up at the people who were gathering around us. "Believe it or not, this isn't exactly my best explaining position," he growled.

I looked down, noticing that I'd pinned his arms with my legs and was sitting on his chest. "Oh, sorry," I scrambled to my feet and helped him up. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, completely avoiding eye contact. He held the back of his neck, letting his arm hang in front of him. I was a bit taller than him, so from my angle I noticed the cut on his hand. "You're hurt," I said, feeling the urge to take care of him again. His jaw was still a bit red from that morning.

"I'm fine," he swatted away my hand when I tried to reach for him. "I-," he stuttered. "I promise I was just trying to help."

"By smashing Kate's window?" I asked, a bit irritated now that the situation was coming back to me.

"It was the only way in," he snapped, feeling more secure now that the crowd was thinning out.

I gave him a quizzical look. "Why were you breaking in in the first place?"

He looked me dead in the eyes. "You're one to talk. Why were _you_ sneaking around to alley behind my sister's place?"

"I thought…," I started, then got defensive when I remembered what my next step was. "You know what, it's none of your business."

Flynn smirked, turning his head to try to hide his amusement as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You were planning the same thing, weren't you?" he snickered.

"I wasn't going to smash the window, you hooligan," I shoved his mask to his chest, making him stumble a bit as he took it from me. "There's a classier way of going about it that doesn't make as much noise," I realized what I said after I'd said it. The look he gave me was completely warranted.

His smile faded before he said anything else. "You don't believe this runaway bride crap either," he more stated than asked.

"Not a damn word of it," I shook my head. "Naomi - I mean Deputy Silverhawk and I found Kate's veil behind the Sterling property. It was buried in the mud next to fresh tire tracks," my worry got the better of me. "Something's happened to her, I'm sure of it… but no-one in this damn town will take me seriously," I huffed.

"Son of a bitch," he shook his head. "I _knew_ it."

"I guess I hoped to find something in her apartment that could help. I was _hoping_ for an open window," I shot him a glance.

"There's one now," he grinned slyly up at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "We should team up on this. Two heads and all that," I suggested.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Usually, I like to work solo, but in this case…," he frowned, "I need all the help I can get."

I stuck my hand out to him as an offer of good will. He took it and we shook, but I didn't let him let go. I turned his hand over to see the cut across the back. "Was this my fault?" I asked, feeling really bad about tackling him now.

He shook his head. "It's from the glass." I ran a finger over it, making him wince and pull his hand back. "Why'd you do that?" he snapped.

"There's still glass in it, stupid. We need to get that fixed up," I scolded him.

He let out a low growl, almost like a dog. "I'll fix it up at Kate's. And don't call me stupid," he walked passed me, glaring as he sheltered his hand.

"I'm not the one who broke a window, dumbass," I turned to follow him. "Since we're a team now, maybe chick with me before committing any more vandalism?"

He rolled his eyes. "Will I need a signed permission slip, too?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't make me throw you in detention, Flynn."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The walk back to Kate's wasn't as long as I'd thought it would be, since we took the shortcut to leave it. Luckily, no-one had seemed to notice the shattered window, so no unnecessary attention was called to the area.

Flynn interlaced his fingers and squatted down near the wall, clearly wanting me to climb up. "You first," was all he said.

"Such a gentleman," I joked, stepping onto his hands and reaching for the windowsill. I got a good hold on the window without stabbing myself on the broken glass, but there wasn't much of a place to put my foot. I tried to hoist myself up just using my arms, but I guess I was more tired than I thought. I propped my feet up against the wall, able to hold myself there, but couldn't manage to pull myself up. _God, this is so embarrassing_.

"You alright?" Flynn's hands grabbed my waist and helped push me up. His hands were warm…

I shook my head, trying to get back to the task at hand. "Yeah, sorry. Thanks," I used his strength to pull myself up and over the window ledge. I extended a hand to him, but he'd already climbed halfway through the window. _Show off._

"I mean, if you wanted to hold my hand, you should have just asked," he joked, jumping down onto the floor. I pulled my hand back and turned on my heel.

"As if I'd want your blood all over me," I felt along the wall for a light switch. "I could have just unlocked the door for you, ya know." When we could see, I looked around, noticing how Kate her apartment was.

"What fun is that?" he asked, looking around as much as I was. We began looking thought the living room. "See anything interesting?" he asked after about ten minutes.

"Well, this boxed wine looks half-full. Things could _get_ interesting," I joked, tapping the box with my foot. "Especially if the wine convinces us to dive into this entire _bin_ of feather boas," I pulled a bright red boa out of a wooden crate against the wall and wrapped it around my neck. "How do I look?" I threw the end over my shoulder with pizzazz.

Flynn laughed warmly, shaking his head. "God, this place is so _her_." Just as quick as it had graced his face, his smile left. "I wish I'd had a chance to spend some time _with_ her here."

I stopped my tomfoolery and stared across the room at him. "Wait, so you've never been here before?" He shook his head. "Did you not live in town or something?"

He shrugged. "Sure, that's a nice way of putting it," he looked towards the wall. "I didn't live in town because I'd found a great all-expenses-paid spot a few hours away."

"That's a bit far. Don't you work near the docks?" I asked, trying to remember our conversations from that morning and the night prior, not that we had talked about much other than Kate.

He looked down towards my feet. "Prison, Tanner. I was in prison," he turned to fidget with some of the trinkets on the shelf behind him. "After I got out, well… things were different."

"You know she'd never judge you for that," I walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

He nodded. "I know, but I judged myself. I got locked up before she went to college, and by the time I got out of the pen, she and Tanner were already a thing," his brows furrowed in irritation. "You've seen his family. They were awful enough to Kate already. Can you imagine if an ex-con had been in the picture?" his eyes looked so pained.

"I see your point," I hung my head, too.

"I didn't want to ruin that for her. She was so… happy," he looked up at a picture of her smiling on the shelf above the one his was fidgeting with.

"So you just stayed out of the picture?" I asked.

He turned to face me. "We still saw each other. Grabbed a beer occasionally, but I always kept my distance. After all, I'd never forgive myself if I got in the way of her new life."

"That must have been really hard for you," I said, thinking about what I'd do in that situation; if my little brother had been so happy that I was scared to ruin it.

He sucked his teeth. "Especially now… Now I'm wondering if all I did was leave her to the wolves."

"You couldn't have known. None of this is your fault," I reassured him.

He looked back up at the photograph. "Maybe not, but it sure feels that way," he said softly.

"I get it. It's hard not to feel guilty when something happens to someone you love," this time I was thinking about Kate. What had happened if I'd just called her more often? Would I have picked up on anything? Could I have noticed some hint that something was off? "Especially if you haven't been as present for them as you'd want to. Trust me, I know that first hand." I unwrapped the boa from my neck and around Flynn's. "But we can't let that get in the way of finding Kate."

He spat out a feather that landed in his mouth, still looking troubled, but less so. "Get this thing off me," he struggled, but I wouldn't let it go.

"Not until you smile," I tickled his cheek with the end.

He fought me for a minute, swatting at my hands, but eventually conceded. "Fine!" he let out a low laugh. "Geeze, you're too much like my sister," he looked up at me and I smiled, unwrapping the boa and throwing it back into its crate.

"That looks much better," I smirked before continuing to look around.

We spent another ten or so minutes looking around the living room, but I didn't even know what we were looking for. There wasn't anything really out of place.

"See any leads?" Flynn asked when we reached the same corner.

I shook my head. "Not really. Everything looks pretty orderly to me. Would she have even left a note in her own apartment?"

He sighed. "This just looks like… Kate's stuff. It all seems pretty normal," he began looking around the kitchen. "Hey," he picked up a picture frame from the counter.

"What is it?" I turned around, hoping he'd found something.

He held it up for me to see as I approached. "Isn't this the two of you?"

I took the picture from his hands and couldn't help but smile weakly. "This… this was from the first day we met. I'd just moved into my dorm." I could remember that day like it was last week. The more I looked at it, the more I found myself lost in the thought of seven years ago.

 _It was my second day in the dorms and I was perusing the internet on my bed. My new roommate was at her desk doing her makeup. She kept asking me questions about joining the student union, parties, and clubs and anything else she could think of. She talked a mile a minute. I'd only just finished unpacking and didn't really have any plans to go anywhere, which baffled her._

 _"_ _Wait, when did you get here again?" she asked._

 _"_ _Um, yesterday," I looked at my watch, not even thinking that much time had gone by._

 _She let out a loud gasp that was probably heard out in the hallway. "You got here a whole 24 hours ago and you haven't gone out yet?" she seemed outraged._

 _I looked around, hoping to avoid further confrontation. "Um, I mean… I went to the library with my mom when she dropped me off," I said. "And to the cafeteria."_

 _She stared at me like I was some exhibit at a zoo, her mouth hanging open slightly. I saw her eyes dart to my side of the room, analyzing my bed, my neatly pinned posters, and the rows of books on my desk arranged by subject, author, and title._

 _"_ _Tanner, you're officially my new project," she beamed._

 _I groaned at her enthusiasm. "Am I that bad? I know I can be a bit… reserved…"_

 _"_ _No!" she interrupted. "I didn't mean it that way. You're fine, great even. But college is all about trying new things, right? Coming out of your shell?"_

 _"_ _I mean, I guess," I shrugged._

 _"_ _Which is why I think you could use someone like me in your life," her grin somehow got bigger and she began to bounce in her chair. She leaned over and flipped open her suitcase, which had been spilling out onto her side of the floor, and pulled out a feather boa. She draped it around her shoulders and started making witchy fingers at me. "I'm sensing a serious and cautious personality… a need for more spontaneity," she sounded like one of those fraudulent fortune tellers, "and a troubling preoccupation with Hogwarts sorting hat quizzes!"_

 _I closed my laptop instantly. "Have you been looking at my browser history?" I was more than a bit frustrated._

 _"_ _Why do you even bother taking them? You know you're going to be a Ravenclaw!" she avoided the question, which meant she_ had _gone through my laptop._

 _I pushed it under my pillow, now feeling violated. "Is that so? Well, what about you?" I inquired, slightly curious, though I was pretty sure she'd say Gryffindor._

 _"_ _I'm obviously a house elf," she said bluntly. My jaw hung open. Nobody had ever volunteered to be a house elf before. "But like, a_ hot _house elf. Like, uncomfortably hot," she seemed surprised by her own creation. She held her hands up over her ears and wiggled them around seductively. I couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't long until we couldn't stop ourselves from rolling on the floor._

 _"_ _You're ridiculous," I could feel a tear work its way down my face._

 _"_ _Yeah, but you love it. Admit it!" she giggled._

 _"_ _I'll plead the fifth," I wiped my face on my sleeve._

 _She snorted. "Fine, be that way. I don't need_ you _to tell me what I already know: we're gonna have so much fun this year," she paused. "Starting with this party! Let's go!" she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room._

 _The party was at the Student Center. The building was covered in streamers, balloons, and confetti, making the place_ very _not my style. The DJ was in the corner and the partygoers were everywhere, even dancing on the stairs._

 _"_ _There are so many people here," I could barely hear myself over the loud thump of the music._

 _"_ _Meh," Kate shrugged. "It's a bit tame for my taste, but it's a start." She dragged me down the stairs and into the fray. The song changed to one of the top 3 songs I recognized from the Top 40 that played on the radio on Sundays. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" she began dancing as we walked, pulling me into the middle of the room. She jumped up onto a table and extended a hand to me. "Care to join me?"_

 _I looked around the room nervously. "I suppose it's too late to pretend I don't know you," I sighed, taking her hand. "Everyone saw us come in together."_

 _"_ _That's right! You were doomed from the second we walked through that door," she giggled, dancing against me. I didn't have a lot of rhythm, but I enjoyed the music, so I did the best I could. "That's what I'm talking about! Show me those Ravenclaw moves, Tanner!" She grabbed my hands and began twisting me back and forth and spinning herself under my arm. I smiled. This was fairly enjoyable._

 _Soon, a guy jumped up next to us and started dancing with Kate. She got really into it, so I figured it was my cue to leave. I slid my way through the crowd, trying hard to get through unnoticed. Finally, I made it to the quad. The air was so refreshing and the sound of the night began to take over the sounds of the party. I couldn't help but think about the dorm calling my name. I was just about to go back when a voice cut through the crickets._

 _"_ _Tanner, there you are! Wait up!" Kate called out to me, running down the path. "Why did you leave?" she looked sad._

 _I shrugged. "You seemed… busy… and I didn't want to get in the way of your 'fun night out'."_

 _"_ _Busy?" she asked, genuinely shocked. "What, with ye olde lord of the dance?"_

 _"_ _I mean, you seemed pretty into it," I slid my hands into my pockets._

 _She grinned widely. "Oh, come on. We both know I'm way out of his league. Besides, I would never ditch you like that," she linked her arm with mine and beamed up at me._

 _I frowned. "Sorry for running out like that. I didn't mean to ruin your night. It's just not my scene," I said as we started walking._

 _"_ _You didn't. In fact, your timing was perfect," she seemed way too giddy. I looked down at her. "It gave me just the out I needed. Now we can follow up on the invite I just snagged us to an exclusive suite party," she held up two paper tickets that looked like they'd previously been in someone's pocket, with the corners bent and a few creases down the middle._

 _"_ _Wow," my jaw dropped. "You're good," I chuckled._

 _"_ _That's what they tell me," she slid one ticket into her bra and held the other out to me. "You're in, right?"_

 _I thought about it for a moment. I wanted to go back to the room, but her smile was the brightest thing I had ever seen, even in the dark, and the thought of it going away made my chest hurt. "You know what, sure," I snatched the ticket from her hand and slid it into my shirt pocket._

 _She bounced on my arm. "Yay! Partners in crime!" she giggled. "Oh!" she stopped. "We should commemorate this moment with a selfie!" she pulled her phone out of her pocket and clicked onto her camera._

 _"_ _What moment would that be?" I asked, smiling at her childlike charm._

 _"_ _The moment we became best friends, obviously," she tried to angle her phone so we were both in the frame, but I was nearly a foot taller than her, and she was having issues. I squatted down and she threw her arm around me, grinning wider than the moon above us. I smiled, unable to do anything else. The flash went off and she spun the phone around to see the image she'd just taken. "Oh I love this," she squealed. "But listen," she looked up at me with a serious face. "We need a code word if we're going to be besties. For the times when we really_ do _lose track of each other and need saving."_

 _"_ _What, incase secret government spies are tapping our lines?" I joked._

 _She laughed. "Kind of. It's incase some jerkface is looking over our shoulders," she said, all of this making perfect sense in her world. "Wait, I think I've got it._ Magelo _," she sang._

 _"_ _Magelo?" I asked, not sure what it meant or where it came from._

 _"_ _It's from my favorite book when I was little, called_ Maria Red and the Pirate Prince _," she explained. "She was this banker's daughter who had all these adventures, and ended up marrying, like, the_ most _handsome prince," her eyes got big._

 _I smirked. "The_ most _handsome, huh?"_

 _She nodded. "Trust me. On the scale of childhood crushes, this guy came in just above the fox from_ Robin Hood _."_

 _"_ _Oh, that_ is _handsome," I mused with her, clearly thinking she was silly for having a crush on a cartoon character._

 _She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Maria had this magic word she would say whenever she was in trouble."_

 _"_ _Lemme guess,_ Magelo _?"_

 _"_ _See?_ Such _a Ravenclaw," she teased._

"Tanner, you still with me?" Flynn waved his hand in front of my face. I looked up at him, but looked away when I felt the tear run down my cheek.

"Yeah, sorry," I wiped at my face with my hand. "Just got lost in thought there for a minute," I held the photo out for him to take from me. He set it gently back on the counter.

"From everything I've heard, you two were quite the pair," he said, looking at our smiling faces.

I tried to hide a sniff as I composed myself. "Yeah, we were inseparable. She forced me out of my high school nerd phase," I laughed, but it was short lived. "At least until graduation," I stared down at the photo with him. "We promised we'd stay in touch, but… I don't know… I guess life just got in the way. First, we stopped making time to call each other, then we stopped texting. This past year, we barely talked at all."

Flynn looked up at me. "That's how life goes though, right? People drifting in and out of each other's lives?"

"Sure. I just never thought it would happen to us."

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Well, when we find her, you two can start over. You'll see, you'll pick things up right where you left off." I smiled back at him. Now he was being the supportive one.

"You're a good brother," I grinned.

He blushed a bit, which definitely caught my attention. It was adorable. He gestured towards Kate's bedroom door. "Um, we should… uh… Do you wanna look around the bedroom?" _Adorable._ "Full disclosure, this feels _super_ weird. I spent a lifetime steering _way_ clear of my little sister's room… Especially after the 'face drawn on her fist make-out' incident when she was 13. That was… it's seared on my memory," he shivered at the thought.

I laughed harder than I probably should have. "Yeah, maybe we'll find something in there, since we haven't found anything out here."

"That's why I'm willing to brave it," he took a deep breath. "But, um, could you go first? And if you find anything I really would _not_ want to see, as her brother I mean," he swallowed hard, the red coming back to his face.

I patted his back. "Relax. Back in college, she was always _very_ discreet with her sex toys," I lied just to tease him.

He put his hands over his ears. "I'm not hearing this," he closed his eyes tightly.

"And I'm sure she outgrew that naked self-portrait phase," I added, loving this.

"Dear god, make it stop," he pretended to scratch at his eyes.

I laughed through my nose. "I'm just teasing you. Come on," I turned him around and pushed him towards the door. This must have been like a horror film for him.

We stepped into the room, nothing looking out of place upon first glance. Her bed was made, clothes folded, jewelry put away.

"Um, are we absolutely sure this is Kate's place?" he looked around. "I'm not sure she's ever lived here."

"What were you expecting?" I asked.

"Her room was always a _pit_ when she was a kid," he explained, but I knew all too well what he meant. "Once, my mom forced her o clean the entire thing, and she found a shriveled-up bologna sandwich under a pile of two year old magazines."

I shivered at the thought. "Yeah, she started out that way in college… until I made it _very_ clear that was not how our room was gonna be," I said.

"How in the world did you manage that?" he asked, impressed.

"I may or may not have threatened to burn any and all clothing that lived on the floor for more than a day," I began. "And also may or may not have used one particular pink crop top to drive home that I don't make empty threats."

His jaw dropped. "Damn, that's cold," he smirked.

I stared at him very seriously. "Tough love, Flynn. Tough love." We looked around the room for the smallest detail. I opened the closet and was shocked at what I saw. "Oh my god," I gasped. There were only a few things inside, a few shirts, a nightgown, and a single pair of jeans… "When did Kate go all Marie Kondo?"

"I don't know what that means," Flynn stood beside me.

"It's not important. I just meant… she used to have a lot more _stuff_. Where's all the _stuff_?" I asked, looking again in case I was hallucinating the first time.

"I think she kept most of her things at Tanner's," he looked at me for a second. "Second Tanner's," he corrected, making me smile a bit. "She spent more time there. The apartment was more of a getaway."

"From what?" I closed the closet.

"From Tanner," he scowled, the dark look on his face keeping me from asking for further details, lest some serious shit were to hit the fan.

I turned to leave, but a glint caught my eye. Something shiny. "What's that?" I looked closer to where it came from. A teddy bear was sitting on the shelf behind the door.

"It's a teddy bear? Is there something I'm missing?" he asked, not sure what I was looking for.

"Well, duh, but there's something up with its eye," I flipped open my pocket knife and wedged the eye out of place. It dangled forward, hanging by the wires leading back into its head.

"What the hell?" Flynn asked angrily, now seeing what I saw.

I flipped my knife shut and put it back in my pocket. "It's a hidden camera. Someone's been spaying on Kate," I pointed out.

"Wait, wait, you're telling me they make spy _teddy bears_?" he took it from my hands to better inspect it.

"It's a nanny cam," I explained. "They're pretty standard. The video is sent to a private server, so you can see what happens while you're away."

He gripped it tightly, about ready to decapitate the bear. "So you're saying some pervert has been watching my sister in her bedroom through this thing?"

"Seems that way," I said, not happy about it either.

"But, who gave it to her?" he asked.

"Maybe an ex," I guessed. "He might have given it to her as a gift without telling her about the camera. Some creeps do that kind of thing."

"Creeps who will get a serious beatdown if I ever find out where they live," he growled. I took the bear back from him and put it back on its shelf, completely unnerved with what we'd just found.

As we walked back into the living room, I took one more look around. "I guess we should get going," I suggested hopelessly.

"One last look, just to be sure," he said. I nodded and we split up again to search the room. "Hey, I think I found something," he called to me as he looked underneath the TV cabinet. He reached under and pulled out a metal lockbox. "It's got a password on it," he groaned as he tried to open it.

"Well, it is a _lockbox_ ," I said, not helping his temper.

"Yeah, yeah, point taken," he rolled his eyes. "It's got a keypad. Do you think she has some sort of code hidden around here?"

I extended my hand and he passed me the box. "Let me take a crack at it," I thought for a moment. _Magelo probably._ I typed it in and the latched popped open. "Ha! I was right!" I cheered at my small victory.

"Woah, nice. What was it?" he asked.

"Magelo," I said simply.

"Wait, the magic word from that book she liked?" he looked shocked. I was surprised he wouldn't have guessed it. It _is_ her favorite book. "I read that book to her at lease a hundred times." He shook his head. "Anyway, enough with my sister's literary tastes, let's see what's in this box," he leaned in close to me as I lifted the top.

"It's her diary," I said, putting the box down on the table and picking it up.

"Maybe there's something in there that will help us find her!" he tried to take it, but I held it close to me. "What are you doing?" he asked angrily.

"You said to not let you see things that a brother shouldn't see. That includes this," I said simply. He hesitated for a second. "I'll read it and let you know if anything stands out," I suggested, sort of. He nodded. I opened the book and flipped through a few pages, looking for dates. "Here's one from right after Tanner proposed," I ran my fingers along the words. "'I can't believe this is really happening. Tanner is my prince, and I'm his Maria'," I read.

Flynn scowled. "Got that one wrong, sis."

I flipped through a few more pages. "Swooning over Tanner, blah blah blah, prince, blah blah blah… oh, here," I stopped on an entry from just a few months ago. "This one looks different. 'I'm not sure I really know Tanner anymore… or if I ever truly did… I feel so alone. I don't have anyone to talk to. I miss my friends.'"

Flynn started twitching, clearly not doing well with knowing this had been going on for months. I stopped, trying to give him time to control himself. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Keep reading," he said when he noticed me watching him.

I scanned through some more pages. "Here's one from a few _days_ ago," I pointed to it. "'I think I've been in denial about this for a while now, but I have to face the truth. Tanner is _cheating on me_ '?" I finished, slack jawed.

"That son of a bitch," Flynn clenched his fists and his jaw. He looked like he'd murder someone if I didn't keep an eye on him.

"There's more," I looked at him, wondering if he could handle it. He nodded. "'I think he's been meeting her on his yacht. I'm going to go there tonight to look for proof. I need to know… even if it breaks my heart.'" I looked up at Flynn. "Do you think she was right? Was Tanner cheating on her?" but as soon as I asked, it all made sense. Of course he was.

"I'm going to _kill_ him," he started, his face twitching with rage. "I am going to _kill. Him._ "

"Flynn," I tried to meet his eyes, but he stared straight through me. He turned towards the front door and I took every muscle in my body to keep him from leaving yet. "Flynn, wait," I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him back. "We have to think this through. You can't just go hit the guy," I tried to get some reason into him.

He stopped struggling, but his body was still shaking, every inch of him tense. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"Are you going to actually kill him?" I asked.

He hesitated. "No, I won't do that, but… I need to know the truth," he finally gave in and stopped fighting me. "Come with me to the yacht. If you're there, maybe you can stop me from beating his face in," he said, sounding almost like a suggestion, but coming across more like an ultimatum. "If he's not there, we can look for the proof Kate was trying to find."

I let him go. "Fine, but no hitting anyone." He nodded. When we got outside, I was going to try to call a cab, but Flynn directed me around the side of the apartment building to his motorcycle. "Ah, I knew you had a motorcycle," I smiled.

"That okay?" he asked.

"Absolutely," I beamed.

He tossed me the spare helmet. "Great. Ever ridden one before?"

"Not as a passenger," I admitted. My dad had a thing for motorcycles when I was a kid.

He smiled widely, which was nice to see after he'd been that angry. "Just hang on tight. You'll be fine," he mounted his bike and patted the seat behind him. I climbed on and put my hands on his waist. He gunned the engine, but before he kicked off he said, "I said tight," with a devilish smile. I wrapped my arms around him, now officially worried for my well-being.

It didn't take us long to get down to the marina, with Flynn zipping round traffic and down side streets. The festival had died down, leaving tired banners that seemed to have fallen asleep on the job. Empty fold out chairs littered the piers, surrounded by even more plastic cups and paper plates. _What a mess_. Flynn slowed town, weaving around the chairs and giving me a chance to look out onto the water. How was it that the shore looks so much better here than on the coast back home? He slowed the bike to a stop just outside of the exclusive boat docking area, where only the rich could tie their yachts and party rigs. The only thing, other than the law, that stood between us and Tanner's boat was a tall rod-iron gate with a big lock on it. The bars were too close for grown men to squeeze through, and there weren't any footholds to try to climb over it.

"Great, now what?" I asked, getting off the bike and holding the helmet under my arm. Without missing a beat, Flynn put his helmet on the seat of the bike and pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket. He walked over to the gate and began picking the lock. "Okay, so _more_ breaking and entering," I looked down at him, a bit shocked that he knew how to do that.

"You have a problem with it?" he asked over his shoulder as he ran the file inside of the lock's mechanism.

I leaned on my hip. "No, but…," I paused, and he looked up at me, "why didn't you just do that back at Kate's place if you had it on you?" I looked quizzically down at him. He turned quickly back to the lock, completely silent. _He hadn't thought about it._ I snickered, watching him adjust the pick as needed to trick the tumblers. "So, since you don't want to answer that, mind answering something else? What did you get locked up for, if you don't mind me asking?" I crossed my arms, the thought just crossing my mind again that he had in fact just gotten out of the slammer.

"Not breaking and entering, if that's what you're asking," he said, still staring intently at the lock.

"Well, obviously, or you wouldn't have even _thought_ about breaking the window," I tried not to laugh this time.

He glared back at me. "It was felony grand theft auto," he said, halfway sounding like he was proud of it, but halfway sounding like it was the worst decision of his life.

"So, what, you stole some biker gang's Harley and got busted going 90 in a 45?" I guessed, assuming I was wrong.

He rolled his eyes. "I was eighteen. This asshole keyed my car," he furrowed his brows and had to take his hands off the lock for a moment because they were shaking. "So I jacked his as payback. I was never going to _keep_ it, but the cops pulled me over before I got the chance to return it, and of course, the _honorable_ judge decided to throw the book at me."

"Really? But you were just a kid," I objected, knowing good and well that 18 was 'tried as an adult' age, but some judges are nicer than others.

"Yeah, but it was Bryce Sterling's car."

"Oh," I said, completely straight faced. "I just gained a whole new level of respect for you."

He rolled his eyes and began fiddling with the lock again. "Daddy Sterling told his _dear_ friend to make me an example… next thing you know, I lose the next six years of my life."

I scoffed. "Six years for a teenager jacking a car… that's ridiculous."

"Well, we both know life ain't fair, right?" he chewed at his cheek while he made the final adjustments, releasing the lock. "Bingo!" he whispered loudly. He pushed through the gate and led the way to Tanner's yacht. We stayed in the shadows, hoping to not be seen if anyone was still there.

"Now I get why you hate the Sterlings so much," I whispered behind him. "It must have been a shock to come home to your sister engaged to one of them."

"That's one way of looking at it," he replied, "but honestly, serving time was the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me how the world worked." His expression was almost robotic. "You can't trust people and you can't expect kindness. The only person you can rely on is yourself," he looked back at me as we slowed down in the shadow of a large boat. "I mean, look at this situation with Kate. The only way that _asshole_ is gonna pay is if I make him," he looked angry again. It was such a bad look on him…

"You know, not everyone is a jerk," I said, taking a step closer to him. "I think I'm a pretty nice guy, and _you_ don't seem like you'd abandon anyone in a crisis. I trust you, and I want you to know you can trust me."

"Yeah?" he asked. When I nodded, his hard expression melted into the concerned, kindhearted guy I'd been seeing this weekend. "That means a lot to me… but I _wont_ put you in danger. If shit hits the fan, you have to get out of here." Before I could tell him to go shove it, I jumped and spun around at the sound of footsteps coming towards us. "Crap! The guard!" he whispered, looking for a place to duck behind.

We both jumped behind a pylon, our thoughts on the same wavelength, but I knew we both couldn't fit there… but there wasn't any time to argue. His eyes met mine, about to object, but I put my hand over his mouth. "Shh," I shushed, looking over my shoulder at the guard until he came closer. We were in a pretty dark shadow and we were both wearing dark clothes, so I was hoping he'd keep on walking. I could feel his breath on my fingers… The guard stood just under the lamp light, his shadow getting lost in the darkness not a foot from my head. I slumped down and prayed that we wouldn't get spotted. My heart was beating so loud, I swore the guard could hear it. I took slower breaths, trying to become one with the shadow. A flashlight pointed in our direction and I could feel Flynn slouch down as much as I was. _C'mon, c'mon, keep walking_. While I was trying to calm myself down, I couldn't help but notice the smell of leather and a hint of body spray… mixed with exhaust… I looked out of the corner of my eye and suddenly realized how close Flynn and I were. His nose was practically touching my cheek. I turned my head just a little and caught his eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the dark. I took my hand off of his mouth, not realizing it was still there, and mouthed a 'sorry'. I heard the footsteps get closer, feeling the boards creek with every step. He was right behind us. After a few more seconds, he turned away and began walking back down towards the gate. "Holy shit," I whispered, letting out a long breath when I thought the guard was far enough away.

"That's a bit close," Flynn smirked. I looked down and realized I'd grabbed his arm and our legs were practically intertwined. I blushed and pulled away from him, hoisting myself to my feet. He did the same and continued walking like nothing had happened. "C'mon. The yacht's down this way," he stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled casually. I followed him once I got my thoughts in order. We went down a ramp, passing some sailboats, until we came to the yacht at the end of the pier. _Of course it would be the last one on the row._

I looked the boat over. It was pretty big for a yacht, and the Sterlings had made sure to keep it in top shape to stand out from the other boats. I followed the maroon stripe around the edge until my eyes found the name: Ulysses. It was written in bold letters on the side. "Seriously? That's what he chose to name his yacht?" I asked, thinking about the irony.

"Even though Ulysses is known for getting _lost_ at sea," Flynn joked, making me a bit giddy that he knew the name, but then reality smacked me in the face.

"He also cheated on his wife a lot…," the thought slipped out. _Ulysses_. "Oh my god," I put my hand to my face. Flynn turned to see what I was looking at, but it was a memory. "The first night I was here, Kate gave me a note that just said 'Ulysses'. I think this is what she wanted me to find."

Flynn gave a half smile. "Then let's not keep her waiting any longer," he tilted his head towards the ramp onto the boat. I nodded and jogged over to him, following him onto the ship. We crept across the moonlit deck towards the door to the lounge area. "It's unlocked," he said over his shoulder before opening it and walking in. I followed him. The inside was too dark to see. We both felt along the walls for a light. Before the lights came on, the boat rocked a bit and moonlight showed the silhouette of a man in a chair across the room.

"Someone's here," I whispered under my breath just as Flynn found the switch. I looked over his shoulder across the room and regretted it instantly. I felt sick to my stomach.

Tanner was slouched in the chair, blood staining his suit and dripping from his fingers onto the floor. His throat was slit from ear to ear. "We should call-," I started, but my stomach lurched.

"It's too late for that," Flynn said. "He's already dead."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tanner's body just sat there, like a rag doll… covered in blood… It was impossible to avoid, but I tried as hard as I could, looking down at the puddle of blood instead of at the gaping hole in his neck.

Flynn stepped forward hesitantly and put his fingers against Tanner's arm. "He's cold as eyes. Must have been here for a while," he looked like he was also fighting the urge to throw up. "We need to get out of here, now," he said, backing towards the door, fear in his eyes.

"We can't!" I finally snapped out of my nausea. "We have to call the police!"

"Are you nuts? They'll think _we_ did this!" he argued.

"We'll look even more guilty if we split!" I yelled back at him. "If we can explain why we're here up front, we can tell our side of the story. Once they find him, they'll find evidence of us all over this boat and they'll come after us anyway."

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

I pulled out my phone and called 911, turning to avoid the grisly scene behind me. Not even ten minutes after I hung up, the door to the yacht swung open. Naomi rushed in first, but stopped when she saw…

"Damn, I was _so_ hoping you were wrong about this," she put her hand over her mouth for a second then regained her composure. Flynn and I were standing off to the side, our arms crossed and our hopes in the toilet.

"I wish I were," I shifted my weight back and forth on my feet.

She took a few minutes to look over the scene and inspect the basics of what had happened. Then she turned to me and Flynn, eyes narrowed. "Do you want to tell me what the hell you two are doing here anyway?"

"I swear, we were just looking for Kate," I started.

"You were playing detective again, weren't you?" she snapped, and I felt a bit betrayed.

Flynn stepped up, letting his arms fall as he took a step in front of me. "Yeah, well, maybe if your department actually did its _job_ we wouldn't have to!" he shouted.

Naomi sighed and put her hand to her forehead. She turned to look at the body again, looking more stoic. "He's cold and rigor has set it. I'd place his death about six hours ago," she turned back to us. "You two better have alibis for this," she lowered her brows, almost like she was praying we did.

"I've been with people all day. The Sterlings, you, Grant Emerson, Ms. Harlenay, the Sterlings," I said their name again for good measure.

Flynn looked her straight in the eyes and said, "I was down at the docks." That was it.

"Do you have anyone who can back that up?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "You calling me a liar?" he snapped defensively.

I couldn't speak for him, but I felt that he was being honest. He hadn't lied to me so far. "He's telling the truth, Naomi."

"You have no way of knowing that, Tanner. You weren't with him," she said objectively.

"I know, but-," I began, but Flynn put his hand up to stop me.

"Thanks, but I've got this," he gave me a quick smile before turning back to Naomi. "I did a shift for Aaron Hendricks, then grabbed a drink at the Rusted Anchor. Twenty people can confirm I was there," he said. "If you need more proof, check the dock cameras. They'll show I only just got here."

Naomi nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure you understand why I had to ask."

"Once a con, always a suspect, right?" he growled.

She gave him an apologetic look before turning away to talk on her radio. "All units to the marina, _now._ We've got a 10-54. The vic is Tanner Sterling," she reported. The back chatter was filled with shocked comments and urgent orders. She clicked her radio off and turned back to us. "So why are you two on Tanner's yacht?"

Flynn looked down and crossed his arms. "Kate's diary," was all he said.

Naomi looked confused, so I elaborated. "Kate had a few entries where she believed Tanner was cheating on her. She seemed to think it was happening here, so here we are."

"You found her diary in her apartment," she guessed. I nodded.

"I figured if it was true, I might still be able to find some proof," Flynn frowned, but a thought hit him that gave him a bit more energy. "Listen, that might help you guys figure out who-," he was cut off by Naomi's sharp tone.

"Don't even _think_ about snooping around, Flynn. This is a crime scene and you've both contaminated it enough already," she snapped. "Besides," her tone relaxed, "anything _you_ find would be inadmissible in court. Chain of evidence is no joke. Just sit tight until the Chief gets here." I knew she was right. I'd followed a case in Brooklyn where a civilian took it upon himself to play hero and ended up making things worse. The perp went free because nothing he found was counted as _real_ evidence… Now that I thought about it, I was doing the same thing.

"Sure," Flynn spat, "I'm sure he'll get _right_ down to the bottom of it."

Naomi shot him a sharp glare then went out on the deck to make sure no-one else came into the crime scene, after making us swear not to touch anything else. We sat down on the floor in the corner, and I tried to calm both Flynn and myself down, but the horror show in the room made it incredibly difficult.

"Who do you think would do this?" I asked, unable to take my eyes off of the body now.

Flynn shrugged. "Beats me, though, the Sterlings aren't exactly _lacking_ on enemies."

"Do you think whoever did this kidnapped Kate, too?" the thought made me shiver. What may have already happened to her crossed my mind in ways I'd never wanted to think about.

"It'd be a hell of a coincidence otherwise," he glared down at his hands.

Ten long minutes later, the Chief busted through the door, Duffy in tow. He stopped short, his face contorting from his usual rage into pure shock and then despair. He shook his head. "Christ, it really is him," he muttered breathlessly. "You think you've seen it all then…"

"Oh, man," Duffy's hand went straight to his mouth. "I-I think I'm gonna be sick," he turned away, holding his arm over his stomach.

"You puke on this crime scene, Duffy, and so help me, I'll make you a mete maid!" the usual angry Chief had returned, Tanner seeming to get more respect now that he was dead than anyone else. "Alright, people. "Let's get this scene wrapped up quickly, and _neatly_ ," he barked, putting his hands on his thick waist. "If I know Pierce, he's going to want to keep this as private as humanly possible." _I'd be outraged if my son had been murdered. What is wrong with these people?_ Walsh did a quick glance around the room, noticing Flynn and I for the first time. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me! This is a closed crime scene! What's the Scooby Gang doing here?" he threw his hand up and shot an angry glare at Naomi as she stepped back into the room.

"Like I was saying, they found the body," she looked irritated, but I couldn't tell if it was directed at us or the fact that her boss didn't listen to her.

"And you believe them? How dumb are you, Silverhawk?" he turned back to us, starting to pull his cuffs off of his belt. "Flynn O'Malley, you little bastard, you've gone way too far this time," he took a few steps toward us and we both tensed up defensively, Flynn a bit more aggressively, but I wouldn't hesitate to jump in front of him.

"They both have alibis!" Naomi's voice stopped him in his tracks, freezing him like a disgruntled, fat mannequin. "Good ones," she added. "I'm pretty sure we could get surveillance video that rules them both out."

I glared back at him. "Book us if you want, but don't blame me when the hottest viral article of the year is about your heavy-handed police tactics," I threatened, knowing at least half a dozen people that would write it for me, no questions asked.

After an intense stare down, he backed off, putting his cuffs back on his belt with a huff. "Fine, so maybe they don't get a free ride in the back of a cruiser tonight, but I don't need them hanging around _my_ crime scene!"

"I'm just here to help," I said, giving Flynn a discreet wink when he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, is that all?" Walsh put his hands back on his waist. "And just how do you propose to help?"

I smiled my best fake smile, which I knew looked pretty spot on. I could have been an actor… "I could play referee with the local press, for instance. Believe me, I can massage a story; make sure the _right_ people wind up looking good," I let my words hang.

He looked off balance for a minute. "Uh, I may have misjudged you, Mr. Murphy," he still looked a bit shaken, but his color was coming back to him. "Why don't we discuss-," he started, but was interrupted by Duffy fumbling around with the yellow tape.

"Uhh… Chief? Should I put up the police tape?" he asked, clearly already having issues doing the task.

"What's that?" Walsh looked over his shoulder, looking like he'd been lost in his own thoughts.

Duffy held up a section of the tape he'd already unraveled and gotten tangled. "You know, the 'do not cross' tape."

"Why the hell would anyone be crossing onto a private yacht?" Walsh snapped, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I swear to god, Duffy, you must have found that uniform in a Halloween store trash can."

Duffy hung his head. "Why would it have been in the trash can? I think it'd be a pretty popular costume…" I was starting to wonder if he really was that dumb or if years of abuse forced him to act like this.

"Just…," Walsh's eyebrows furrowed in angry confusion, "zip it, Duffy. We'll do better without your _brilliant_ contributions."

"Yessir," he sulked back over to the bag they'd brought in to process the scene. Naomi had just finished snapping on some gloves when he started trying to roll the tape back up.

She bent down near the bed and began looking around. When she looked under the bed she said, "Chief, I found something," and held up a small silver object; a bracelet with the letters S and E laid with diamonds. "I bet this wasn't Tanner's."

I recognized it instantly from the wedding. "Scarlett's bracelet?"

"Looks like that's highly probable," she agreed.

Flynn spoke up for the first time since the Chief had stepped onto the yacht. "That son of a bitch was cheating on Kate with Scarlett!" he clenched his fists again, looking at Tanner's body like he _would_ have killed him if someone hadn't beaten him to it.

"Wasn't she the maid of honor? That's… well, it's not my place to judge," Naomi bagged the bracelet.

"Lovely," Walsh dragged his hand down his face. "Can't anyone in this town keep it in their damn pants?"

"I can, Chief!" Duffy piped up from the corner and all of us sighed, either externally or internally.

Walsh grunted. "I swear to god, Duffy…," he took a deep, calming breath… that didn't seem to work.

"I have to say it. This makes Scarlett a major person of interest," Naomi said, putting the bagged bracelet into their kit bag. "She could've been angry at Tanner for not leaving Kate and tried to hurt both of them," she suggested.

"Damn… you think...," Flynn crossed his arms.

"No. No way in hell," Walsh stated confidently. "Scarlett is a classy gal from the right side of town. She's no killer." I thought about 'crimes of passion', but I agreed that she didn't seem like the type. "Know who the real person of interest is?" he turned to Duffy. "Duffy, I need you to put out an APB for Kathrine O'Malley," he said.

"You can't really think Kate did it. She's missing, for God's sake," I objected. "She's a victim here, too!"

Walsh shook his head. "Gal catches her fiancé playing hide-the-salami with her best pal, and suddenly the poor schmoe turns up with his neck slit?"

"Kate and Scarlett weren't even-," I tried.

"Oh, and she just _conveniently_ happened to disappear on the same day. If that ain't suspicious, I don't know what is," he spat.

Flynn slammed his hands down on the table near the chairs we were standing next to. "Kate would _never_ do something like this!"

Naomi crossed her arms. "The veil, the tracks… they could point in a different direction than we thought…"

"No! Kate would never! She's a victim, not a murderer!" I didn't understand why she'd switch sides. We'd been on the same page this whole time… or at least I'd thought…

"Guy, when I want your opinion, I'll ask for it," Walsh groaned.

Duffy stood up in the corner. "Want me to tag the bracelet, sir?"

Walsh didn't even turn around. He just looked at the ceiling. "Do I really have to answer that, Duffy?" he turned to Naomi. "You, Silverhawk. CLEAR. THIS. SCENE!" he shouted.

She looked at me and Flynn, jerking her head towards the door for us to leave. As I pulled a reluctant Flynn behind me by his shirt, Naomi walked closer to us near the door. "I'm sorry," she said in a hushed tone. "I know you want answers, but it's best if you let us do our jobs."

"I get it," I nodded. I looked back at Flynn, who shoot his head angrily, but we couldn't do anything about it. We needed to leave. "Come on," I said. "She's right. We have to go." We hopped down onto the pier from the yacht and stood still next to each other, staring at the yacht like zombies. We were both still in shock. "I guess we should probably get out of here," I frowned, not knowing what to do.

"We _could_ do that… or…," Flynn's voice sounded less angry and more mischievous.

I gave him a sideways glance. "Wait, are you seriously 'or'-ing me right now?"

He turned to face me. "Think about it. Whoever did this might have left a trace around the marina, something that will point us in the right direction," he gave me his version of a pleading look, which was basically just an intimidating stare until I gave in. "I'd say the police would find it, eventually, but you've seen what a crack team _they_ are," he looked back at the boat through the corner of his eye.

I scoffed. "Especially Walsh. I swear, it's like he _wants_ this investigation to dead-end," I hissed, crossing my arms.

"Exactly, so," he squinted a little, intensifying his stare. "What do you say?"

I surrendered. "Fine, but if I get arrested because you stared at me…," I trailed off, realizing how silly it sounded as I said it.

He lightened up a bit after that as we walked along the piers, looking for anything that could help. I kept looking over my shoulder, thinking I'd heard something. Wandering around in the dark was never my favorite thing to do.

"Nervous?" Flynn asked, looking around with me almost every time.

"No," I lied, but jumped when he kicked a wooden crate that was overturned next to a fishing boat. "Fine!" I hissed. "The cops _just_ told us to get out of here. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not see Walsh's bad side."

He smirked a bit at my jumpiness. "Are you suggesting that was his _good_ side?"

"What, you think he gets better?" I retorted.

He chuckled a bit and patted me on the shoulder reassuringly. "Relax. He's got his hands full at the moment."

The image of Tanner's body flashed into my mind. I shivered wildly. "God, that was awful. Have you ever seen anything like that?" Just the vivid picture of the blood dripping from his fingertips, the pool staining his leather shoes, the high detail my mind had kept of the gash on his throat. I was starting to feel a bit sick again.

"Like that, no, but I've seen some things," he said, looking out across the water. "There was this guy on my cellblock. He got some gang tattoos before he was in the gang. I guess he thought he'd cut the line," he explained. "The gang leader filed them off of him with a rusty mattress spring," his lip curled in disgust at the memory. "I remember the screams."

"That's awful," stared at him, concerned about how bad his PTSD was.

"I thought that was bad, but… seeing Tanner tonight," he shuddered. "What about you? Ever seen a dead body?" he asked, almost like it was a game of truth or dare.

I nodded. "Yeah, but nothing like this." I continued when he cocked his head, clearly curious. "I was following an investigation on a drug bust. These kids had acquired heroine from a low-ranking member of the cartel and were held up in this abandoned warehouse. When the police got there, the kids had all OD'd; five of them," I stopped, saddened by the memory. "They were just kids…"

"Shit, that's rough," his moved like he wanted to comfort me, but he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, leaving nothing but silence between us for a moment. "What's that?" he walked over to the edge of the pier and squinted. "Hey, look at this!" he knelt down and stretched his hand out over the water, grabbing what looked like a few scraps of black fabric.

"A ski mask?" I knelt down beside him when he dropped the scraps onto the pier. "This isn't yours is it?" I joked. He wrinkled his nose at me. "Why would these be at the marina?"

"Something tells me it wasn't for skiing," he picked up the gloves that he'd fished out of the water and looked them over.

I couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, you mean people put on ski masks for things other than skiing? For what, breaking a window?" I teased. He shook the glove at me, spraying me with the water it had soaked up. "You'll never live that down as long as I'm around," I smiled.

"Ha, ha. Now back to the task at hand, maybe," he sneered playfully.

"Do you think they belonged to-," I began to ask.

"Tanner's killer? That's a hell yes," he finished. I was starting to get really annoyed with people finishing my sentences.

I frowned. "The water would have washed away any useful evidence of the person wearing them," I pointed out.

He nodded. "Sure, but they still tell us something. This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment crime of passion," he said. "Whoever did this planned it out and came prepared. This was premeditated."

I put the mask back down on the pier and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "I'll text Naomi and let her know about these. She can 'find' them when we leave."

"Like it'll do any good," he threw the glove down on top of the mask.

"We have to try," I said, sending the text.

We kept walking after that, looking for anything else that looked out of place, but everything else was just a mess from the festival. I looked over to Flynn. He was glaring down at the road.

"What'd the road ever do to you?" I asked.

He looked up, clearly lost in his own thoughts… or internal threats to strangers. "What?"

I gave him a concerned smile. "You've been staring holes in the pavement for a while now. What's on your mind?"

He frowned, his eyes sparkling under the lamp light like he'd thought of something that might actually make him cry, which was a very uncomfortable image. "I was just thinking about what Walsh said, about him trying to pin Tanner's murder on Kate," he started, looking back down at the ground.

I shook my head. "You and I both know there's no way she could. She wouldn't hurt a flea." He looked up at me. "This one time in college, she saw a squirrel get run over outside our dorm, and she cried for three days straight," I felt a bit of a grin etch across my face. "Whoever killed Tanner kidnapped Kate. It's the only logical answer, but what can we even do to make sure the police see that?"

"Same thing we've been doing. We keep sticking our noses where they don't belong until we sniff out whatever's really going on here," he said, his hands in his pockets as his steps fell into sync with mine. "We'll find her. And we'll bring her kidnapper to justice, with or without their help."

As we walked, my eyes began to wonder, looking at all the little shops on our right and the reflection of the moon on the water to our left. On the water, there was one ship that was lit up by spot lights on the dock. It was a tall-mast ship, fully restored to it's 17th- century glory. A golden mermaid graced the prow, extending her hand over the water, like she was reaching for something or someone she'd lost.

"I recognize this," I pointed to it. "'The Endurance'. This is the Sterling ship that Magnus the Cold crossed over on," I walked over to it. It was so much cooler to see in full size than in a miniature. "Pierce has a smaller one in his study."

Flynn grumbled. "He keeps it around to remind everyone his family built this town."

"And owns everything and everyone in it, right?" I narrowed my eyes at the ship. It wasn't _its_ fault that the owners were cruel and mean, but my distaste was growing still.

"They can't own you if you don't let them. They sure as hell don't own me," he said, literally spiting on the ground at the thought.

I stared up at the ship then let my gaze follow the mermaid's arm, looking out for something… anything in the distance… "I admire that about you, Flynn."

"You… really?" he looked shocked when I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Yeah," I smiled. "You're your own man. Not many people can say that."

He averted his eyes, trying to regain his composure. "I mean… you're pretty alright yourself, you know?" he scratched the back of his head. "Not just anyone would care enough to help find Kate. Not to mention have the brains to follow the clues. It's pretty impressive, I guess."

"You guess? Is that your idea of a compliment?" I teased, throwing him off guard.

"I-," he started, but failed to come up with anything. He just blushed in frustration.

"I'm teasing, you goof. We make a good team," I turned to face him. His shadow stretched out under his feet and seemed to touch the sea.

He kicked at the ground, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess we do."

As adorable as his awkwardness was, we had to get going. We needed rest if we were going to pick up again tomorrow. I started walking down the road again.

"Tanner," he called.

I spun around and walked backwards. "Hm?"

He shook his head. "Nothing," he said before jogging a bit to catch up with me. "You're going to trip over a chair or something if you keep walking like that," he warned me.

I beamed. "That's why you're here. You've got my back, right?" I closed my eyes and threw my hands up behind my head. "If I fall, it's on you," I joked, peeking at him just a bit.

"If you fall, it's your own damn fault," he said, but he'd moved closer to me against his own words. He extended his arm to guide me. _Such a gentleman_. I spun around, letting his arm touch my back, and slung my arm around his hips. He blushed, but didn't pull away. I wondered if it was his rapid pulse I felt in my hand or mine.

It didn't take long to get back to his motorcycle near the gates to the private shipyard. Now that I'd thought about it, it was a bit conspicuous that we'd parked that close to the area we were breaking into.

"Want a ride home?" he asked.

"I was hoping you'd ask," I grinned.

He smiled back at me. "Sounds like somebody likes the bike," he teased.

"Yeah, something like that," I bit the inside of my lip as he tossed me the helmet.

I climbed on behind him, not hesitating to wrap my arms around him this time. He revved the engine and started off towards the B-and-B. It wasn't as long of a ride as I was hoping it'd be. Before I knew it, I was climbing off and throwing the helmet back at him.

"Tanner," he called after me as I started towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Flynn," I smiled back at him.

The night was longer than I wanted it to be and I couldn't close my eyes without seeing the blood… and his neck… Every time I'd finally fallen asleep, a weird nightmare would scare me away. It was so uncomfortable.

Just after noon the next day, I trudged down to the lobby. I'd drank all the coffee in my room and needed the lobby's if I was going to keep going on the little sleep I did get. I poured a cup and picked up the morning news paper off of the table to peruse while I sipped.

"'Tragedy Strikes Bridgeport! Tanner Sterling Slain!'" I read aloud. _What a title._

"Oh, my… it's so tragic, isn't it?" Ms. Harlenay sauntered out from behind the counter, looking devastated. "Cut down in the prime of his life!"

I nodded, frowning. "Yeah, it was… _is_ ," I caught myself. "It's probably best not to dwell on it," I said, trying to get my mind off of it for even a second. I folded the paper back up and pushed it away. _So much for reading the sports_. I downed the coffee.

"Exactly," she nodded in agreement. "It's like my mother always said. Never read about murder before breakfast… unless it's the solstice, of course, but everyone knows that."

I stared up at her from the chair I was in. "You have an interesting family," I couldn't help but chuckle. Without skipping a beat, she put a plate down on the table beside me. It was filled with pastries, fruit, and bacon. "Wow, this looks amazing. Thank you," I beamed.

She smiled back at me. "She was the wisest woman I've ever known. Make sure you eat the scones. They're my specialty!" she giggled proudly.

I took the first bite. "Holy- wow, these are good!" I said with my mouth full.

"The secret is a pinch of clove," she said. "So? Any big plans today?"

I frowned. "Not really," I said, putting the scone down for a minute. "I'm mostly just waiting to hear back from people."

She shook her head. "Oh, now, you can't give them the satisfaction of waiting by the phone! Get out and be… unavailable!" she sounded like a mom.

"I suppose I could take a walk somewhere," I suggested.

"That's the spirit," she grinned. "You look tire, though, dear," she pointed out. "After you eat, you should go clean up before you go out."

I looked down at myself. "Do I look that bad?" I asked.

She thought for a second to figure out her wording. "You look like you've… had a long night."

"I have," I admitted. I'd showered and done my morning hygiene, but I guess I was being a bit lazier with my clothes and hair than I had been previously. She smiled sympathetically before disappearing behind the counter again.

I finished off my delicious breakfast and gave her a quick thank you before running back upstairs to make myself look half decent. She was right. I looked like crap. I had bags under my eyes and my hair looked more stressed than I was. I picked out some nice jeans and a good-looking button up then brushed my messy ash hair until it went from tsunami to wave. I splashed some water on my face to try to perk up before heading back downstairs.

"Oh, my," Ms. Harlenay gasped when she saw me.

"Better?" I asked.

"Much," she smiled. "If I wasn't at least twice your age, I'd ask you out right now," she paused. "Actually, I still might," she winked playfully.

I chuckled. "It'd be an honor to go out with you, Ms. Harlenay," I grinned down at her.

"Oh, stop it, you," she swatted the air. "You're going to get my hopes up."

As I was waving goodbye and about to leave, the door swung open and Naomi jogged in, catching her breath a bit.

"Naomi, good morning," I looked down at her, wondering what all the urgency was for.

She caught my eye. "Oh, good. I'm glad I caught you." Her eyes were bloodshot and weary. She looked worse than I did.

"You haven't slept yet," I called her out, concerned.

She waved me off. "No time for that."

"Time for coffee?" I asked, holding up a paper cup and pointing towards the coffee maker.

She didn't even blink. "Oh, _god_ , yes." I poured her a cup as she talked. "I hope you got some sleep. I've had a long night and an even longer morning."

"Go home and rest," I scolded her, handing her the coffee.

She gave it a long sniff before almost downing it. "I will… soon… but after everything you've done to help this investigation, I owe it to you to bring you up to speed first," she said.

"Did you find a suspect?" I asked.

"Not as of 9a.m," she sighed. "Of course, if we've landed on anyone _since_ then, I wouldn't know, seeing as I'm officially off the case," she spoke angrily to the cup.

"What?" I was outraged. "That's bullshit!"

She frowned. "Yeah, I know, but Walsh got a call from Pierce. By the end of it, he was so red that I was afraid he was going to pop. I'm guessing old man Sterling ripped him a new one… and that de decided to take it out on me." She finished the rest of her cup.

"I'm sorry, Naomi," I took her cup from her and turned to refill it.

She shook her head is disbelief. "Brigeport's very own Prince Charming murdered… Cinderella missing… and it's up to Walsh and Duffy to save the day," she looked like she'd lost all hope.

"That's… less that encouraging," I muttered, handing her the full cup. "Did you find anything else in the yacht?"

She shook her head again. "You mean, besides the mask and gloves that 'anonymous tip' mentioned? Not a damn thing. No DNA on those, either." _I figured._ "I did get a call from a tech in the city about the tire tracks we found, though!" her hopeless demeanor changed. "They're from a mid-90's Dusk Avalon."

"Any idea who the owner is?" I asked.

She shook her head again, looking more tired. "Not yet. There aren't any of those registered anywhere within 100 miles of here."

I thought for a second about all that she'd told me. "What about Scarlett? Have you guys questioned her yet?"

"We spoke to her. She's definitely a person of interest, but she has a solid alibi for Tanner's murder. We don't have enough o bring her in," she explained. "From what I hear, she's holed up in the Emerson mansion with the family lawyers circling wagons around her, so we can't even question her anymore."

I poured myself another cup of coffee… totaling somewhere around 7 that morning. I sipped at it, but had to put it down when an idea sprung into my head. I pulled out my phone and dialed Grant.

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked.

"Scarlett's our best lead and we need her to talk, but she won't talk to the cops, right?" I confirmed. She nodded. "I think I've got a way to reach her." I hit the call button.

It only rung once before he picked up. "Tanner! God, you have no idea how happy I am to hear from someone I actually _want_ to talk to," he greeted.

"I'm so sorry about Tanner," I had forgotten about him for a whole minute until I heard my own name… today was going to be long… "I know you two were friends."

"Thanks. I'm not gonna lie, it's been really hard… for me _and_ Scarlett," he said somberly.

"Is it true that the police are looking into her as a person of interest?" I pretended not to know. It was better that way.

He let out a long sigh. "Yeah, and it's absolutely ridiculous," he paused. "Wait… _please_ tell me… That's not why you called is it? Did you call to 'investigate' my sister?" he sounded heartbroken.

"It's not what you think. Deputy Silverhawk is here, and yes, we _do_ want to talk to Scarlett, but," I tried to explain.

"Look, I get it, okay? Scarlett and Tanner… if it's true they were… I mean, _clearly_ that's messed up, but that doesn't make her a _murderer_ ," he snapped. "She would never hurt Tanner or Kate. I'm sure of it!"

I chewed my cheek. He sounded so angry. "I know that," I said. He was quiet. "That's why I need to talk to her. Look, I know I haven't been in town long, but I'm guessing you and Walsh aren't exactly besties."

He scoffed. "You mean Chief of Racial Profiling? Nope. No hair braiding for us."

"Then you _have_ to let me talk to Scarlett. Walsh doesn't want to clear her name, he just wants an easy coverup," I could feel my irritation coming back from the day before. "I, on the other hand, want the actual truth. If Scarlett is innocent, talking to me is her best chance. Not to mention she could have information about the issues between Tanner and Kate, which might help, since she's still missing."

He didn't say anything for a while, and I chewed my cheek more as I waited. "Fine," he finally said. "I guess it can't hurt anything. She's here now…," he trailed off a bit, "but she won't leave her room. Come over. Maybe you can get her to open up. But no cops. That'll just make things worse."

"I got it. I'll be there shortly. No cops," I repeated. I hung up and put my phone back in my pocket.

"Well?" Naomi was tapping the side of her cup, waiting for he results of the call.

"I'm sorry, but I only got him to agree to me going over there. He says Scarlett will only talk of the cops stay out of this," I informed her.

She nodded. "I get it. I would tell you to leave this to the professionals… but they've just benched the only one of those they have on the force, so go for it," she gave me her blessing.

"I'll catch you up afterwards. I have a feeling I'm going to need your help again soon," I said. "But for now, go home and sleep. You've earned it." She nodded with a yawn.

A quick taxi ride later, I was at the Emerson mansion… It was huge, but not like the Sterlings with the old architecture. This mansion was modern, contemporary art style with corners where corners wouldn't normally be. I kept forgetting that Grant was rich, since he acted so much more casual than any of the Sterlings. Grant jogged out of the door when I'd gotten out of the car and led me into the living room.

"This wasn't how I wanted to introduce you to my home," he said, showing me around the halls. "Maybe if your talk with Scarlett goes well you could stay for dinner?" he sort of asked, sort of implied.

"I'd like that," I smiled. "Besides, you said something about crab cakes, if I remember correctly. The official 'best food to ever food' taster has just arrived."

He gave a short laugh. "Tell me I'm not the only one who could _desperately_ use a drink right now," he pointed towards a bar that was in his living room. _These rich people and their private bars…_ I was very jealous.

"Definitely not. I'm right there with you," I said, not even thinking about all the coffee I'd had that morning and how bad of an idea alcohol was at the moment.

He pointed to a variety of fancy liquors and wines he had on a shelf. "Pick your poison."

He didn't know how right he was. "A glass of wine is fine," I sat down on a bar stool.

"You like pinot noirs, if I remember correctly, right?" he asked. I nodded. "I have a nice one from Oregon here," he pulled the cork and began pouring me a glass.

"Sounds perfect," I smiled. I let the aroma of it fill my lungs before taking the first sip. "Pretty good, Emerson."

As if on cue, a door slammed shut upstairs, echoing down to the open living area. Scarlett slowly walked down the stairs and over to the bar, a haunted look on her face and clear lines from where her makeup had been running and she'd tried to cover it up. She took the bottle her brother was holding and began drinking it straight.

"Scarlett," I spoke softly, feeling terrible for her.

"T-," she started, but stopped. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here to offer my condolences," I looked down at my glass. "I don't mean to intrude, Scarlett. I'm so sorry about Tanner. I know your families were close."

She looked down at the bottle, staring at it like it was telling her off, then threw it passed my head against the wall. The bottle shattered and the wine bled all over the rug. Neither one of us said anything about it.

"You don't understand!" she shouted. "None of you understand!"

I slid my glass over to her, the last of the Oregon wine. "Tell us, then."

"I-I can't," she frowned, staring at the glass.

"It's alright. You can trust me," I assured her. When she looked up at me, tears rolled down her face like an uncontrollable flood had begun.

"Come on, sis. I promise you, he's only here to help. You can tell him," Grant coxed.

She tried to wipe away her tears on her wrist, but they just kept coming. "The truth is… Tanner and I… were in love," she sniffed. It was strange that even her crying seemed classy.

My jaw dropped. I figured Tanner was cheating on Kate, but I didn't think he'd actually be _in love_ with her… since… you know… he was marrying Kate. Grant looked at the wall, void of shock. "You knew?" I asked him, a bit irritated that he didn't say something sooner. Not to mention, he'd lead me to believe the contrary… so… he lied.

"No, I swear I didn't… I mean… I suspected… but I didn't _know_ ," he tried to explain. "I saw the way they looked at each other, but I didn't want to believe it, so I didn't say anything… I didn't ask… now I wish I had."

"Well, it's true. I've loved Tanner since I was a girl, but he never saw me that way," Scarlett finally managed to get her tears under control and sipped at the wine I'd handed her, not even making a jab at it being contaminated by the poor. "And then that classless little tramp _Kate_ clawed her way into his life," she took a bigger sip. I was a bit irritated, but I wasn't going to say anything. I needed her to talk. She sighed, blushing slightly when she saw the look her brother gave her about it. "Anyway, I thought I'd missed my chance with him. Then one night he came over. He was drunker than I'd ever seen him…," she paused. "He was babbling about having to fire a dockworker, some lowlife thief named Tony Rez or whatever."

"Tanner was broken up about firing one guy?" Grant asked, shocked. "Who _stole_ from him?"

Scarlett scoffed and rolled her eyes, but it was less intimidating in her current situation. "God, no. He was broken up because the guy took a baseball bat to his car and threatened to kill him."

"Why wouldn't you tell the police about that?" I was just as shocked as Grant.

"How could I explain why _I_ know this, and _no-one else_ does?" she had a point. "Tanner didn't even tell his parents. He was too embarrassed. Just got the car fixed and pretended it never happened."

Grant nodded. "That sounds like Tanner."

"Anyway," she continued, "he was so upset that night, and he'd come to _me_. He was looking at me like he finally really saw me…," she trailed off, the tears starting to come back.

"So you seduced him?" I asked bitterly.

She stayed quiet, taking another sip to avoid looking at us. "Oh, Scarlett," Grant sighed sympathetically.

"Don't you _dare_ judge me, Grant. The man I love is dead!" she shouted at him. "Besides, it never changed _anything._ He'd come to me, again and again, but he never even _thought_ about leaving _her_ ," she hissed. "I thought when that little tramp jilted him, I'd finally get my chance, but…," her voice broke and she collapsed into a ball of tears on the floor. "Now it's too late. Now it'll… always… be too late." When Grant reached out for her, she smacked his hand away and ran back upstairs.

"Scarlett, wait!" Grant tried to follow her but she slammed the door in his face. Her sobs echoed through the house.

While he was trying to comfort his sister, I decided to clean up the mess. I couldn't do anything about the rug, but I could at least clean up the wall and the glass.

"You're still here," Grant said, sounding surprised yet relieved. Then he noticed the wall. "Oh, you didn't have to," he started.

"I wanted to feel like I was doing _something_ ," I said, slouching against the bar. "I've felt so _useless_ this whole time."

Grant sat next to me. "Well, she's asleep now," he looked so sad, like his was completely in tune with his sister. That was a nice quality he had.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, thinking she probably wouldn't be for a while.

"She's in bad shape, but she'll recover. She's a resilient girl," he said, looking up at the railing just outside of her room.

"I should probably go," I sat up and put my phone in my pocket.

"No! Please don't!" he put his hand on my arm. "Besides, I promised you dinner, didn't I? An Emerson always keeps his promises," he smiled weakly.

I smiled sympathetically. "Okay, sure, but only if you let me be your sous chef. I'm a master at chopping veggies," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Far be it from me to pass on the chance to see a master in action," he smiled, standing up to lead me to the kitchen.

He handed me a knife and a red pepper to dice while he prepared the crab meat. He looked pretty natural. Maybe he was a good cook.

"Um," he mumbled while he was getting everything set up, "are you mad at me for not saying anything to Kate about Tanner and Scarlett?" he asked nervously.

I began chopping the pepper, taking out my real frustration on the poor thing. "I wish you had said something sooner, but Katie figured it out all by herself," I told him.

"She did?" he looked shocked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Flynn and I found her diary. She'd been planning to confront him about her suspicions for a while. She tried to tell me when I first go here, but… things got in the way," I chopped a bit harder. I was mad at myself for being so _useless_. I should have called her more or… or… _something_. "Anyway, I don't know about you, but I could use a break from that right now. Can we talk about literally anything else?"

"Like what?" he asked.

"Um, what made you go into law?" I picked one of the first questions that came to mind.

He smiled. "Actually, I almost went into medicine," he said.

"Really? How did that go over with a whole family of lawyers?" I smirked.

He shrugged. "In the end, they didn't have to press their case. Turns out I'm more interested in what transpires _between_ people, than _inside_ them," he explained. "Plus, it's nice, being able to follow in my grandfather's footsteps as a defense attorney. It makes me feel close to him," he began molding the crab meat, looking deep in thought. "My father wanted me to focus on something more lucrative. Corporate litigation, like he did, but this world needs more people standing up for those who can't fight for themselves," he said, sounding noble. I gave him an impressed smile. He was a good guy. As bad as a lot of the people in this town seemed to be, there were a few good folks; Naomi, Grant, Ms. Harlenay, Flynn… I thought about the night before and felt myself blushing a bit when Grant's eyes began to investigate my features. "What's on your mind? Speak now, or I'm picking the dinner wine," he grinned, washing his hands.

I didn't want to tell him… it was embarrassing enough to admit to myself that my best friend's _brother_ was on my mind more than he should have been. "What would I be stuck with if I _didn't_ say anything?" I asked, raising my eyebrows playfully.

He didn't even hesitate. "A lovely unoaked Chardonnay. Delicate, though. It won't overshadow the crab," he grabbed a towel to dry his hands before picking something from the wine cooler below the counter and holding it up to me.

"Sounds good to me," I smirked before locking my lips with an imaginary zipper.

He laughed, putting the bottle down before returning to his crab, readying it for the next stage. "Now that we have that figured out, if you don't want to tell me what's on your mind, I want to hear about your life in New York."

I thought about it for a minute before sitting on the stool on the other side of the kitchen's island from where we were working. "My life, huh? Well… It's interesting," I started. "As a reporter, I meet different sorts of people every day," I crossed my arms on the counter in front of me. "Everyone from powerful politicians to ordinary families struggling to make ends meet."

"Who's the most interesting person you've ever interviewed?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy," I smiled, sitting up a bit. "There was this guy, Marlon Barrister. Super intelligent, Ivy League grad, 'could have done anything' type of guy. He dedicated his life to this wild conspiracy theory. He is _convinced_ New York is secretly ruled by a cabal of vampires," I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory.

Grant's jaw dropped. "Like, metaphorical or literal vampires?"

"The latter, actually, but like in a _sexy_ way," I squinted just a bit then rolled my eyes and waved off the thought. "It was a whole thing." He let a hardy laugh slip. I was glad I could cheer him up a bit after all that had happened.

After a bit, the crab cakes were done. I set the table while he made the plates. We sat down to good food and a lovely chardonnay. "So, what's the verdict?" Grant asked after I took my first bite.

I ran it over my tongue, taking in as much flavor as I could get. "These are _amazing_ , Emerson. You weren't joking about your chef skills," I praised before digging in like a savage.

We chatted a bit more, laughed a little, and were genuinely having a good time. After we'd been sitting and chatting for a while over our empty plates and third glass of wine, I looked down at my watch. "Wow, when did it get this late?" it was almost ten. "I should really get going, but this was amazing," I gestured to the table to include both the food and the conversation. I reached down to pick up my plate and glass.

"You can leave that," Grant stood and reached out to me to make me stop. "I'm glad you stayed, Tanner," he smiled.

I put the dishes back down. "Me, too, Grant, but are you sure you don't want me to help?"

He shook his head. "After cleaning up the broken bottle earlier _and_ helping with dinner, you've done more than enough. I've got it." I smiled. He walked me to the door, wishing me a good night and the average goodbyes. Before I left, I turned to him and gave him a hug. "What's this for?" he asked as I pulled away.

"It's been a long day and I figured you needed it," I stated simply.

He gave me a weak smile and let out a sigh that felt like the last bit of air leaving a stressed balloon. "Thank you for coming," he said again.

The ride home felt longer than the ride there. This cab driver didn't have his radio on, so I was left with the sounds of my thoughts downward spiraling as everything that had happened that weekend crashed back into me. When I got back to my room, I face planted on the bed and didn't move for hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I woke up in my jeans, having not changed the night before. As rough as that seemed, though, I felt good. I'd needed the break. After I got myself sorted and cleaned up, I looked down at my phone to see the time and thought of Flynn. _I should fill him in_. I dialed his number. When he answered, I let him know about Tanner and Scarlett and Naomi's situation.

"So, it's true. That asshole was cheating on Kate," Flynn was angry, but his tone was relatively calm… or at least compared to his previous flareups. "I swear to god, if he weren't already dead," he started, but I stopped him.

"It might be a _bit_ soon for that joke, Flynn," I said.

"Who says it was a joke?" he sounded cold.

I ignored that and continued. "Anyway, we already knew that. The stuff about the dockworker, though, Tony Rez… that's new."

"I know the guy," the sound of strong wind cut his voice off a bit. "Reckless little wannabe gangster," was all I heard.

"I mean," I shrugged, but he couldn't see that…, "it sounds like he followed through this time. Smashing Tanner's car is pretty good follow-through. You don't think he could have done this, do you?"

I could hear more rustling in the background and the sound of heavy things being put down. He grunted a bit as he spoke. "Killed Tanner? Did something to Kate? No idea. The one thing I do know, though: we finally got ourselves a lead."

"Hey," I had to ask, "what are you doing?"

His breath was a bit heavy. "I'm working right now, but I'll be off in a bit," he explained. "Why don't you come down to the docks and we'll go find Tony?" he suggested.

"If this was a bad time, you should have just told me," I felt bad for interrupting his shift.

"I can multitask," he sounded like he was clinking metal cans together. "Are you gonna come down here or what?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'll be there in a jiffy."

"You didn't just say that," he laughed.

"What if I did?" I asked, feeling a bit flustered at his dislike of my word choice.

He didn't say anything for a minute. "Nothing, I just… it's nothing," he fumbled.

"See you in a bit?"

"Yeah," he said quickly before we hung up.

I threw on a leather jacket and went downstairs to grab a bit to eat before walking over to the marina. As I passed through the lobby, Ms. Harlenay leaned across the front desk.

"Going to the Emerson's again? Or perhaps meeting with that gorgeous police girl?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

I let out a low laugh. "No, actually," I smiled. "I'm meeting Flynn down at the docks."

"Checking out a new lead?" she inquired. I nodded. "You know, my ex-girlfriend was a private investigator. Did you know they sometimes carry cuffs? God, the things we did with those…," she trailed off.

I smiled awkwardly. "No need to go into more detail," I held my hand up to stop her.

She giggled. "Silly me going on like that. You're in a hurry aren't you?"

"A bit," I nodded, sticking my hands in my jean pockets.

"You look great, by the way. My ex had a jacket just like that," she rested her face on her hand, a smile painted across her charming face. "Sometimes we'd play a little game where she'd come to my room at night pretending to be an intruder and-"

I shook my head. "Ms. Harlenay…," I laughed her name, but she didn't take my hint and kept going. "Oh, look at the time. I've kept Flynn waiting. I should go," I said, looking down at the watch under my sleeve. I waved a quick goodbye and ducked out before she could tell me anymore about those handcuffs… I'd never look at a pair the same again…

I grabbed a doughnut at a shop a block away on my way to the docks, since I wasn't willing to stick around for breakfast with Good-old-days girl. She was a hoot, but too much sometimes. It was interesting to walk down the hill through the downtown area. The high-end restaurants and stately manors turned into rickety bungalows and dive bars almost instantly as I crossed the streets. They were two completely different worlds, only steps away from each other.

 _I should call Naomi_. I pulled out my phone and dialed her up.

"Deputy Silverhawk, Bridgeport PD," she answered.

"Hey, Naomi, it's Tanner," I greeted. "Some stuff has happened. Figured I'd fill you in."

Her voice got softer almost instantly. "Tanner!" she practically whispered. "How'd your meeting with Scarlett go? Anything new?"

"Let's just say it was informative," I summed it up. "She admitted to the affair with Tanner."

I heard shuffling in the background and a loud squeak before her voice had a bit of an echo… almost like she was hiding in the bathroom to take the call. "How did she seem? Do you think she could have had something to do with his murder?"

I shook my head. "No way. I don't think she's winning any friend of the year awards, obviously, but I think she genuinely loved Tanner. Trust me… if you'd seen her…," I trailed off, remembering her tears. "I don't think you can fake that level of devastated."

"Hmm… I've never thought much of Scarlett, but I think you're right. My gut says she's just not capable of something like that," she agreed.

"She did put me on a new lead, though. She said Tanner had gotten into it with this guy, Tony Rez. Said he's a dockworker," I informed her.

I heard her grunt. "Oh, trust me… I _know_ Tony. We might as well have put a reserved sign on one of the cells for him. I've pulled him in on a DUI, at least three drunk and disorderly's, vandalism charges, and I can't forget public nudity," she listed. "It's like the guy is working on a misdemeanors bingo card."

"Sounds charming," rolled my eyes. I knew a few punks like that back in Brooklyn.

"Oh, sure. The kind of guy you can't _wait_ to bring home to mom," she said sarcastically. "Listen," her irritation died down. "I get why you want to follow up on this, but just be careful, okay? Rez is mostly bark, but with enough drink in him, he can get out of hand," she warned.

"I will. I'll have Flynn with me, so I'm sure we'll be fine," I said. "If anything happens, Flynn is more bite and less bark. Actually, it's probably best that _I'm_ going with _him_ now that I think about it. I might need a crowbar to pry him off," I half joked. "Although, I'd love for you to join us. Never hurts to have a pro on the team," I suggested.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," she said even quieter than before. "Walsh has made it _very_ clear that I'm off the case. He's got me chained to a desk filing old traffic violations and promised me archive room cleanup duty if I so much as _think_ about the case." I wasn't sure if she meant literally or figuratively chained to a desk. I wouldn't put anything passed that pig of a man.

"You're right. You should lay low," I agreed. "We don't want you getting on Walsh's bad side until we at least know whether this is a solid lead, after all."

"Exactly," she said. "If you find something, he'll have to follow up himself. Better for both of us if I stay out of it until then," she paused, and I heard more shuffling. "I have to get back at it. Promise me you'll be careful down there."

"I will, and if I find anything, you'll be the first to know. Unofficially, at least," I told her before saying a quick goodbye and hanging up.

It wasn't much longer until I reached the docks. I stepped out onto a creaky pier, looking around then back down at my phone to make sure I was in the right place. The only things around me were some dimly lit buildings and old rusted-out ships. It was definitely a turnaround from the high-end marina up the shoreline by only a few miles. I still couldn't find Flynn. I was about to text him when I saw him duck out from behind a boathouse.

"Hey," he said as he walked towards me, his thumbs tucked in his pockets. "Welcome to… we peasants prefer the term 'the other side of town'," he gestured unenthusiastically to the area around him. "Whatcha think?"

I looked around. "I love the… authenticity," I joked, taking a big whiff of the salty and fishy air.

He grinned. "It's authentically something, that's for sure." His smile fell, and he jerked his chin in my direction. "It took you a while. I was starting to worry you wouldn't show," he said.

"Worried I was lost or…," I tried to joke, but the situation ruined it. "Sorry. Thanks for waiting."

He smiled again. "Of course. We're a team, aren't we?"

I chuckled. "Damn straight," I held my hand out for him to slap. We did a quick fist bump like pros before laughing at our silliness.

"You look good," he said, his eyes looking me over.

I smirked. "Like a guy in leather?" I flirted a bit.

"I like _you_ in leather," he said, making us both blush. I wasn't expecting that, and I don't think he was planning on saying either… or at least not out loud anyway.

"We should," I pointed towards the road, trying to get my thoughts together. He nodded silently and led me down the street. The ocean breeze felt great. "So… who is this Tony Rez guy?"

Flynn slowed down a bit, allowing for a more fluid conversation than if he was still avoiding me. "He's a local. Grew up down her by the docks, actually," he explained. "I never knew him too well. We ran in different crowds, but occasionally we'd wind up at the same party."

I smiled. "I never pictured you as a party goer," I joked, knowing that wasn't exactly what he was talking about.

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises." He looked up at me just for a second before continuing. "From what I've seen, the kid's got a mean temper, especially when he's on the sauce, which is often."

"Do you know where to find him?" I inquired.

"Not really," he pursed his lips. "I asked around, but no-one's really seen him all day. I figured our best bet was just to wander around and hope we get lucky."

"There are worse people to wander with," I tried to hide my smile. He didn't look at me, but I could see the pink flare up on the tips of his ears. _Adorable._ "And you can give me a tour of the _other_ side of town while we look for him."

"Sure, why not. Such an exotic locale, after all," he laughed. He led me over to some fishing boats, nodding towards the nearest one. "These puppies right here are responsible for the majority of Bridgeport's fresh seafood, and a good amount of Boston's, too," he spoke like a true tour guide.

"Seriously? They're so much smaller than I would have expected," I looked the boat over. I may have lived in New York for a while, but the coastline wasn't really a normal hangout for me, and what I had seen of it was either part of the trashier neighborhoods or covered in tourist attractions and gimmicks.

"Yup," he smiled. "Just a few guys to a boat." He ran his hand along the curve of the wooden hull. "They sure don't make 'em like this anymore. They can't, really. This wood is from old-growth trees. Boats like this will get handed down through a family for four or five generations, at least," he looked at the boat like he was grooming it. The love in his eyes showing.

"Sounds like some of those families have been around as long as the Sterlings," I said.

"Longer sometimes," he looked back at me. "I know guys who work the water every day, risk their lives to provide for their families… but they're never going to get rich off of it," his soft expression hardened.

I smiled sympathetically. "Seems like this town owes as much to them as to the Sterlings."

"More, if you ask me," he turned and waved for me to follow him as he walked passed the rest of the small fishing boats. "You know who loves to come down here?" he asked with a big smile. "Kate." His smile faded when he remembered. Mine did, too. "Or… she used to, anyway. Before second Tanner pulled her up and out of all this." It made me feel a little bit better that he'd gone back to calling him 'second Tanner'. It was the little things that made it apparent that he and Kate were related.

"It does seem like he lived in a totally different world up there," I frowned.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "One with a view that looked straight down on everything she came from. I could never understand what she saw in that guy."

I sighed. "That makes two of us," I looked down at the ground and stuck my hands in my back pockets.

"She never explained it to you either, huh?" he asked, running his hand along the railing of the wooden dock.

I shook my head. "Nope. And he's just so… _different_ from everyone else she ever dated. Back in the day, she always went for the underdogs," I felt the corner of my mouth twitch thinking of all the losers she'd dated, calling them 'new projects'. "I guess I always figured she'd end up with someone sweet, hardworking, someone… _normal_ ," I stressed the word, "but who treated her like a princess. She deserved that."

"Yeah, well… she got Tanner instead," he growled.

I sighed. "There must have been something, though, right? He had to have swept her off her feet somehow. I mean, it must be flattering to have your hometown's most eligible bachelor fall head over heels for you, especially if you didn't come from that world."

He shook his head sadly. "Your classic Cinderella story… except without the happy ending." He stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wide with a revelation.

"Everything okay?" I asked, looking over at him.

"I just realized where Rez might be," he said, looking towards the buildings. "There's this crappy little bar Kate liked to go to. It's right around the corner."

We practically jogged down the street and around the corner until we found a tiny bar with its sign half covered in grime. "Shipwreck Sally's? That's a bit ominous, isn't it?"

He smiled. "Fishermen have a pretty grim sense of humor," he opened the weather-beaten door for me. It was so dark that it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust. The brick walls were tall and held up a wooden roof that sagged in certain areas. There was one window and it had busted shutters nailed over it, letting in as little light as possible. Pot lights hung over every other table near the wall and over the bar itself. A blue neon sign hung in the far corner near a pool table that had seen better days, and old fishing nets, anchors, and shells decorated the walls.

"How did Kate even know about this place?" I asked, thinking that it was a bit of a hole in the wall. Reminded me of a trashy speakeasy.

Flynn closed the door and motioned for me to sit at the bar. "She used to work here during the summers. Surprise, surprise, she had all the guys from the docks eating out of her hand."

"That I can believe, but she _worked_ during the summer?" I asked, not remembering her ever mentioning it in the seven years we'd known each other. "There must have been at least one summer during college that she worked her, not that she was 21 yet…"

He laughed. "You really think anyone around here cares about that?" he tapped on the bar and the bartender slid two beers towards us.

"I just don't get why she never told me. If she did it every summer, it must have been a big part of her life," I stared down at the bottle as I picked at the label.

"Honestly, I don't think she wanted any of her college friends learning how blue her collar really was," he said. "Probably thought you'd judge her for it."

I looked up at him, shocked. "I would never-," I started.

"Maybe _you_ wouldn't, but other people are mean," he took a long sip of his beer.

I looked around. Two women next to us were staring at us, their faces mixed with curiosity and contempt. I averted my eyes and looked up at the shelf of cheap, yet good, liquors. It was nice to have a dose of my real world as well. I was starting to get used to all the high-end wine I'd been offered lately. Something above the bottles caught my attention.

"I guess you're right about this being Kate's bar," I pointed to the photo of her high on the wall. She was smiling from ear to ear with a shamrock on her cheek and more makeup than I'd ever seen her wear. We both smiled.

"Must have been St. Patrick's Day," he beamed up at her. "People in this part of town get pretty into it."

"You're friends with _her highness_?" the girl to my right slurred. "Tell her happy wedding day for me, will ya?"

"Yeah," her friend joined in, "sounds like it was everything she deserved." The both giggled.

I didn't have to look behind me to know Flynn wasn't enjoying this. "Way to keep it classy," I jabbed.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the first girl scoffed.

"What, you think you can come in here in some fancy leather coat and judge _us_?" the second one snapped.

The first girl nodded. "You want someone to judge, you should pick Kate. She's just a little gold-digger anyway!"

"Who couldn't drop her _real_ friends fast enough," the second girl added.

I shook my head at them, disappointed. "You know, her fiancé is dead, and she's been missing since the wedding. _Real_ friends would be worried sick about her, not laughing about her misfortune in a bar," I stared at them distastefully. "Maybe she dropped you because you're hateful and bitter."

The room fell silent. Even the bartender was staring at me. The two women stared down at their drinks in silence. After a moment, the first one said, "Well… she shouldn't have ditched us," with a frown that showed her feelings of resentment. I rolled my eyes at them and spun back around to Flynn, who tapped my leg with his foot and put a finger to his lips.

I followed his gaze across the bar to a small man hunched over a beer. From the way he was slouched, I guessed it wasn't his first. He looked a bit young to be in a bar, but Flynn had made it clear that nobody really cared about that.

"That's him. Tony Rez," Flynn whispered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked, discreetly jerking my head towards the kid.

He took a deep breath before pushing off of his stool, drink in hand. I followed him over to the kid and we took spots on either side of hm. "Hey, Tony," Flynn said, taking his seat.

"The hell do you want?" the kid glared up at him from his slumped position.

Flynn returned the glare. "A word. Now."

Tony took a huge gulp of his beer, a bit dribbling down his chin. "Well, what is it?" he let the mug fall back onto the counter, sloshing a bit out onto the counter.

Flynn looked across his arms to me. "You wanna kick this party off?"

I shrugged. "Sure thing. Hey, Tony, did you threaten Tanner?" I asked, completely straight forward.

"What are you guys, cops?" he looked shocked by the question.

Flynn laughed. "We've met, right?"

Tony looked sideways at him. "Oh yeah, good point."

"I'm just looking for my sister," Flynn said, getting serious again, "and we heard you might know something about what happened to her."

Tony smiled bashfully, dancing his fingers around the handle of his beer mug. "Aww, Kate, man… what a sweetheart. You know her smile?" he looked at me. "She had this smile…," he giggled a bit.

"Focus, Tony," I said sharply, knowing that it was hard to stay serious when thinking about her smile. "You know she was engaged to Tanner, right?"

He grunted. "'Course I know that!" he spat. "You think I'm stupid? Everyone knew that. Little Prince Sterling," he sounded like he'd choke on the nickname, "couldn't help lording it over the rest of us poor schmucks any chance he got. Why she fell for an asshole like that I will never understand. That guy didn't deserve a girl like Kate."

"You're telling me," I agreed.

"I'm with you there," Flynn said at the same time. We looked at each other, clinked bottles against Tony's mug, and took a drink.

"If you knew that mother-," Tony started, but stopped. "Wait, you don't think _I_ had something to do with that?"

"We know you smashed his car," Flynn told him.

Tony looked flustered. "Well, yeah… but… I mean… there's a pretty big difference between breaking a couple of headlights and _killing_ a guy," he stuttered, seeming to sober up a bit. He looked at Flynn with sure eyes. "I wouldn't do that. You know me better than that, man," he said.

"Honestly, Tony?" Flynn looked down at his drink. "I don't know you at all."

I leaned in a bit. "What kind of car do you drive, Tony? A Dusk Avalon maybe?" I asked.

"Pft, I don't even have a license anymore," he frowned. "There was an incident with me and this street lamp. Cops gave me a DUI just because I'd had a few beers before!" he said, outraged.

I shook my head in disbelief. "You know, that the whole point of a DUI."

"Nuh-uh, no, what they did is… double… entrapment?" he looked more confused than I was.

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Being a complete moron aside, I believe him, Tanner. I don't think he did this." I nodded in agreement with a sigh. _Another dead end._

"Damn straight! I didn't do it! Anyway, the last person I'd kill is a Sterling," he looked at me. "Wait, what did he call you?"

I grimaced. "Okay, I think we're done here," I grabbed my beer and was about to stand up, but he added something, grabbing my arm.

"Whoever _did_ do it, let's just say I don't think he's gonna be around much longer," he said, his eyes meeting mine with traces of fear.

"What do you mean?" I asked, settling back down.

He was quiet for a second and his grip got a bit tighter. "Bad things happen to people to piss off the Sterlings."

"C'mon man, you know that's a buncha crap," Flynn turned towards him.

"No way! It's a fact!" he yelled just above a whisper.

I looked quizzically at both of them. "What are you two talking about?"

Tony took his hand back. "I'll tell you what I'm talking about," he said, holding up his hand in front of his face. "Mark Garvey," he put one finger down, "tries to open his own imports business. All his ships get wrecked in a storm." He put the second finger down. "Andy Perello beats Bryce up in high school. Dies in a car accident a couple months later." Third finger. "And there was that one secretary of Pierce's, what was her name? Alanis? That house fire that killed her was wicked suspicious." He put his pinkie down and looked at Flynn. "Even you, man," he said, and Flynn scoffed. "I'm telling you, the Sterlings make sure that anyone who crosses them pays."

"I buy it," I said, leaning my arm on the bar.

"Really?" Flynn asked, looking up from his drink for the first time in a while.

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, okay, maybe not that they could make ships get lost at sea, but all it's hard to believe that you could be that rich and powerful without getting your hands dirty," I argued. "And you've seen Bryce. That's not normal behavior."

"Good point," he said.

"Exactly!" Tony leaned back over his drink. "I'm telling you, man, the Sterlings are ki-," but before he could finish, a big burly man with a beard cut him off.

"And did anyone ask you about this, Rez?" the man asked, his Russian accent shaping his every word. "Now why don't you shut your mouth before I shut it for you?"

Tony shrank. "S-sorry, Nikolai. I d-didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," the big guy said. "Now go mean it somewhere else." Tony downed the rest of his beer then sulked away like a dog with its tail between its legs. The big man turned to us. "Now then, may I sit?" he asked politely.

I was a bit too intimidated to talk, so I'm glad Flynn said something. "It looks to me like you can do whatever you like, big guy," he waved his hand toward the stool and the big guy sat.

"I couldn't help but overhear that your friend is missing," he said.

I frowned. "Yeah, a few days now. We think she's been kidnaped."

He looked down at me somberly. "I am very sorry to hear about this."

"Did you know her?" I asked.

"Da," he nodded. "Katerina was always my favourite waitress. A ray of sunshine." He furrowed his bushy eyebrows at me. "Now, you, ah… your name is?"

"Murphy," I said, wanting to avoid using my first name on this side of town after Tony's reaction.

He nodded before continuing. "Murphy, please. Allow for me to tell you, as someone who knows. You need to stay away from the Sterlings." His sharp gaze turned to Flynn. "You, too, tough guy. You will keep him away from them, and stay away yourself," he instructed.

"Why?" I asked, other than the obvious reasons.

Nikolai paused for a second, switching his gaze back to me. "A man who digs in swamp will drown in mud," was all he said, but I understood. "You must trust me on this."

"Hey, Nikolai," I started, "do you know anything about a Russian carving on a cabin wall?"

He looked shocked for a second. "What? How did you-," he cleared his throat. "No. I know nothing about this carving. I have given you my warning. What happens next is on you." He stood up and pushed his way through the rest of the bar to the door.

I looked over at Flynn, who wasn't _quite_ as thrown off as I was, but pretty close. "Please tell me you know who that was," I looked between him and the door.

He nodded. "That's our friendly local lighthouse keeper, Nikolai," he informed me.

I grinned. "No shit. That's so _Scooby Doo_ ," I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

He smirked. "That's one way to look at it."

"Any idea why the _lighthouse keeper_ would warn us away from the Sterlings?" as I asked, I thought about how accurate that was to his job description… A big tall structure warning ships of impending doom.

He shrugged. "Nope. Honestly, I don't really know the guy. He's been here about twenty years now, but he mostly keeps to himself. People around here have some stories they like to tell, but they're just rumors."

"Ooooh, like what?" I asked, intrigued.

"He's a KGB spy on the run, he used to work for the mob… One guy even claims he's an Olympic body builder," he listed a few.

I laughed. "Or maybe all three, for maximum 'wouldn't want to piss _that_ guy off' impact."

"A hat trick of intimidating," he smiled.

We threw out a few more jokes and finished our drinks before we both felt ready to leave.

"Looks like the trail's gone cold for the moment," he said.

I frowned. "I suppose you're right. It doesn't seem like Tony did it, which puts us back at square one…," I stared at the empty bottle that I'd pulled most of the label off of. "Should we head home?"

"We _could_ do that… or…," he smirked. I peered at him through the corner of my eye, loving when he did that now. I turned to face him when I noticed his cheeks redden. He looked away from me. "…Or we could go for a walk," he suggested nervously. "I could show you the rest of the docks?" he added in a rush. "You know… Just... since we're already all the way out here…" _A-dor-a-ble._ When I was quiet for too long, he peeked over at me, his eyes seeming to sparkle in the dim light of the bar.

I groaned with a smile, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Ugh, I can't say no to that."

He beamed like a kid getting to go to the fair for a second then cleared his throat. "Cool," he said, in a very uncool way. _Oh my god._

It was darker than I'd thought I'd be when we got outside. I hadn't realized how much time we'd spent in the bar. It was still a bit bright compared to the dim pot lights, but you could see the glow of dusk beginning to highlight the sky.

"You wanna watch the sunset from the beach?" Flynn asked quickly. "The views down there are really incredible," he fidgeted with his arms a bit, like he didn't know what to do with them.

I smiled. "That sounds perfect."

"Ah, really?" he sounded shocked, then shook himself out of it, returning to his cool, fist-in-pockets self. "Before we head down, I want to show you something," he said.

On our way down the docks, he steered me towards a stilted warehouse at the end of one of the piers. Faded bold letters on the side called it the Net Shed. Inside, enormous nets and fishing lines were strong from the rafters, and brightly colored buoys dangled from them like Christmas ornaments. Various sizes of rope were coiled up on the floor and in wooden crates along the walls. I looked towards Flynn to ask why he'd brought me into a shed full of nets, but his face… I couldn't… He was so excited.

"This is where the fishermen dry their nets," he said. It was such a mundane thing to me, but to him it was this source of enthusiasm. He pointed to one of the lines on the floor. "This one's already dry."

"How do you know so much about all of this?" I smiled.

His smile faded for a second. "I hung out down here a lot as a kid. When things at home got… rough...," he said.

"Sounds like this place is important to you," I put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he nodded.

"I used to do little odd jobs for fishermen. They'd pay me a dollar or two to fix up a net or run some errand in town, but they never gave me crap for getting in the way," his smile came back. He looked lost in his thoughts for a while as we stood there in silence.

"Can I ask you something?" I took my hand back, shoving them both in my pockets.

He looked up at me. "Shoot."

I tried to figure out how to phrase it. "Back in college, Kate… She talked about your mom all the time, but she never once mentioned your dad. I brought it up once, and she totally shut down. Actually, she turned around and walked out of our dorm," I furrowed my brows. "I didn't have the nerve to ask again, but I've been curious for a long time."

He sighed. "Our parents were way too young when they got married. Following their hearts or whatever, but just not ready to be grownups. Terrible with money," he leaned against the wall. "Dad could never hold down a job, probably because he was drunk all the time. Drunk… and mean…," he said.

I nodded. "I get why she wouldn't want to tell me that."

He crossed his arms and continued. "Once he finally left, I was thrilled, but Kate… well, I think she felt guilty, like she should have been able to fix him."

"That's Kate for you," I smiled weakly, now understanding her quirks.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. "But that's all in the past now. Dad left town years ago, and mom's doing fine." He smiled. "She owns a knitting shop in Cleveland."

"Like mother like daughter," I grinned.

"In more ways than you know," he stood up. "We should get going. We don't want to miss the sunset," he started towards the door. I was so caught up in watching him that I didn't realize that I hadn't moved. He turned around and offered his hand. "You coming?"

I took his hand, feeling how warm he was. When his hand closed around mine, I felt this jolt of electricity trickle from my fingers to the ends of my hair. His smile was soft and warm, just like his hand.

We walked out of the storage shed and down to the edge of the pier where narrow stairs led down to the sand. We walked, hand in hand, down the beach until we were several piers over. By that time, the sky had turned orange and was streaked with pinks and purples like a Monet.

"Oh, wow," I said, lagging behind just a bit.

He gave me a light tug. "If you think this is good, follow me just a bit further," his smile was as bright as the sky.

We walked for another minute or so with nothing but the crashing waves and seagulls to distract us. He stopped under a certain pier and pointed out to sea.

"This is my favorite spot," he said.

"How did you find this place?" I asked.

"Pft, I can't tell you _all_ my secrets," he laughed.

The wind blew a gust of fresh air towards us and I closed my eyes to breathe it in, feeling my hair get tossed around. "It's like we're on a private island," I sighed happily. When I opened my eyes, Flynn was staring at me. I smiled at him and he let go of my hand, taking a step away from me and clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I love that about this place. I used to come here all the time," he looked around. "I'd build a bonfire, drink a beer, watch the stars," he drifted off. Before I could tease him for stargazing, he jogged away from me towards a log up by the edge of the boardwalk. He dragged it all the way back to me and gestured for me to sit. "You can only get here during low tide, which means you almost always have it to yourself," he sat next to me, our shoulders touching.

"I'm starting to understand the appeal of a tiny beach town right about now," I beamed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him looking between me and the ground. He slid his arm around my waist as his eyes were fixed on the ground, but when they looked up at me… he was glowing. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "This is perfect," I said again.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," he sighed happily.

I looked up at him, realizing how close we were. I could feel his breath. I leaned into him, pressing my lips to his. He hesitated for just a moment before accepting it and kissing me back. The first one was innocent, testing the boundaries of where this was going… I got lost in his sea blue eyes when we pulled away… but the second kiss… his arm pulled me closer as he planted is lips back on mine. I snaked my arm around his, resting my hand on his shoulder, but as the kiss continued, my other hand found his neck. I shivered as his tongue entered my mouth. It took a while before we pulled apart.

I bit my lip and traced his jawline with my thumb. "Wow," I mumbled.

"That's my line," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. "I feel like I've been fighting that since the minute I saw you."

I hated how cheesy this was getting, but I couldn't help it. "Don't fight it anymore," I whispered back, rubbing his shoulder.

"Okay," he said quickly before kissing me again, very tenderly this time. His other hand grabbed my wrist lightly. He traced circles on my forearm. I nipped at his lip before we pulled away. I rested my head back on his shoulder as we watched the sun disappear behind the horizon. Eventually, the only lights in the sky were stars.

"We should probably call it a night," I suggested reluctantly, not moving an inch.

I felt him nod. "Unless you want to stay here until the next low tide, that's a definitely."

"Can't we, though?" I asked selfishly. He tilted my head up and kissed my forehead. He forced me to sit up and I groaned. "Fine," but then I caught his eyes again and all my grumpiness disappeared. "Thanks for bringing me here, Flynn. This is lovely."

" _You're_ lovely," he fired back at me.

I groaned again. "Ugh, that's so cheesy," I rolled my eyes playfully and gave him a small shove.

He took the opportunity to pull me in one last time, his kiss telling me that he didn't want to go either. After we broke apart, he stood up and offered me a hand, which I took, and helped me to my feet, pulling us close together.

"Thanks for coming, Tanner. I'm… really glad I got to share this with you," he smiled like a dork and I felt like I was in college all over again, just an awkward 19-year-old with a crush. Saying that I was almost 30, it was a bit refreshing, but also very strange. I guess that just goes to show that there's a kid inside all of us, no matter how old we are.

We climbed back up onto the dock and strolled up to the parking lot, his hand around my waist. I smiled giddily. "We should do this again sometime," I suggested.

He turned me around to face him. "The evening or the kiss?" his sea blue eyes gazed up at me, hypnotizingly beautiful.

"Both?" I reached for his hand and intertwined our fingers, biting my lip a bit. He pulled me close, putting his arm back around my waist, and our noses touched, teasing a sequel to the evening. As we were about to kiss, a voice behind Flynn caused us both to jump, separating a bit more than I'd wanted to.

"Yo, wait up!" the sound of flip-flops loudly slapping against the planks of the dock echoed out over the area. "Man, I almost missed you," a frat boy looking guy stopped in front of us, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. "I have got some joose goose you are gonna wanna hear," he looked up at us with a douchey smile.

"Some… what the hell are you talking about?" Flynn asked before I could, looking both irritated and confused.

The guy stood up straight. "Uh, 'juicy gossip'? Duh," he shook his head like we should have known that.

"Is that so?" Flynn's irritation was growing.

"Totes, man. I was pre-gaming at the bar, waiting for my boys, and heard you talking to that shady dude," the guy explained, sounding foreign to both of us. "You mentioned a Dusk Avalon, right?" And some girl missing?"

"That's right," I said, shocked that this might actually be a serious conversation that could help us.

Flynn snarled, "Get to the point."

The frat boy pointed to himself with a self-important smile. " _I_ totally saw a Dusk Avalon. There was like a dude inside, and this chick in like… a wedding dress or something." Flynn and I both looked at each other. _Finally,_ we had something.

" _Where_ did you see this?" I pushed.

His smile faded, and he pursed his lips, putting a hand on his hip. "Well, see, here's the thing," he started, already wearing my patience. "You sounded _pretty_ invested in finding her… like… maybe _monetarily_ invested, know what I mean?" I forced a laugh and shook my head in disbelief. _You've got to be kidding me._

"You want us to _pay_ for the information," Flynn stated more than asked.

The guy smiled cockily. "I knew you'd feel me, bro. What do you say, maybe like, a G?"

I pulled Flynn aside before he could say anything.

"Listen, we don't need to pay him, but we _do_ need to handle this guy carefully," he whispered. "Guys like this are all talk. The second I lean on him a little, he'll cave."

I held my hand up as a shrug. "I was going to suggest you beat it out of him, so…"

He grinned a bit wider than I'd expected, cracking his knuckles loudly. We turned back around, and the guy swallowed hard. Flynn took a step forward, his glare scaring the living daylights out of this guy. "Here's the deal, _bro_ ," he started, and I tried so hard not to snicker, knowing that he really was scary, but enjoying watching him go at it. He grabbed the guy by the collar of his baby blue polo shirt. "You're going to tell us where you saw the car and the girl, and you're going to do it out of the kindness of your heart," he narrowed his eyes.

"You can't-," the guy's eyes went wide, and he began to struggle. "My bros will destroy you," he whined. _This is just sad now…_

Flynn lifted the dude _with one hand_ off the ground, his sandals falling onto the pier. "Oh yeah?" he looked around to humor the guy. "I don't see anyone, and that bar is a solid block of brick. They can't hear you. No-one can." For added effect, he kicked the guy's flip-flops further down the pier.

"Aw, man, that's just mean," he said, his hands landing on Flynn's, trying to hold himself up.

"You think that's mean, just wait till I get started," Flynn spoke in a low growl.

The guy tapped on Flynn's arm. "Fine, I'll talk… just don't hurt me."

He put him down, but leaned over him menacingly. "I won't have to if you just tell me what you know," he said with the same growl.

The frat boy flinched. "I didn't get a good look at her, okay? But I mean, a wedding gown is hard to miss."

"Was she alone?" he asked as I stepped up behind him to hear better.

He shook his head. "Nah, man. There was this dude holding her up, she was so wasted. Must have been one hell of a reception, am I right?" he smiled, but it wasn't well received.

"She was drugged," I took in a long breath and let it out quickly. "Where _exactly_ did you see her?" I asked, narrowing my eyes down at him.

He flinched. "Out in the woods somewhere. I was taking a picture of this rock that looked like a butt," he fished in his pocket for his phone. "Hold on, one sec. It should have a geocode," he flipped through his photos. After a second, he held up his phone so we could see. The picture was taken near a body of water.

"Oh my god, Flynn, she could still be out there," I began to panic.

He looked over at me. "We have to go, now." We sprinted down the docks, leaving out tipster behind us to find his shoes. "If Kate's kidnapper was dragging her through the woods… and she could barely stand… maybe that's where he stashed her!" he shouted over his shoulder at me. "She could still be there… alone… terrified… I need to get to the lake, now!"

I caught up to him and stopped in front of him, making him bump into me. "Wait a second," I had to raise my voice for him to really hear me. "I'm worried about her too, but we have no idea what might be waiting for us out there," I frowned angrily. I wanted to get there ASAP, too, but if we went unprepared we could cause more problems. "We need backup."

"Backup? Tanner, this isn't some TV cop drama! We don't have _time_ for that!" he shouted back at me, pushing me out of his way. "I'm going for her with or without you."

I grabbed his arm. If I was going to get through to him, I had to say something to get his attention. "You'll only be putting her in more danger!"

He spun around, looking shocked. "What? How?"

I sighed, thankful that had worked. "Think about it, Flynn. If Kate is still there and we go rushing in guns blazing, we could spook whoever's holding her!" He hung his head. My words were getting through his anger shield. "We already know this person is ruthless. Think what they might do if they feel cornered," I said a bit softer, but still worried, letting his arm slide from my hand.

"You're right," he said after a moment of silence.

"Plus, we have ourselves to worry about," I added. "We're no use to her if we get ourselves hurt or killed."

He looked down at the railing of the docks then nodded. "… Okay. Yeah. You're right," he convinced himself. "If this whole reporter gig doesn't work out, you should consider hostage negotiation," he said after a minute.

I let out a quick breath. "I'll keep that in mind," I said, pulling out my phone.

"Who are you calling?" he asked.

"Backup," I said simply. "I'm calling Naomi."

He squinted at me. "I don't know if you noticed, but Walsh isn't on our side. If we tell him, he'll probably just run interference to keep us away from the scene."

"That's why I'm not calling him. Trust me, I'm staying _far_ away from Walsh and his pet Duffy," I dialed her cellphone number. "I trust Naomi."

"Seriously? You want me to put my sister's life in the hands of a _cop_?" he scoffed, crossing his arms. I frowned at the irony of that question.

As the phone rang, I said, "She's helped me dig up quite a bit on this so far. Not to mention, I've been in contact with her this entire time. She hasn't sided with Walsh once."

He grumbled under his breath. "I guess if you trust her… then I do, too."

I gave him a quick smile before Naomi picked up the line. "Naomi, I'm at the docks with Flynn. We just got a huge lead and we need your help," I said quickly.

"I shouldn't even be saying this, but what have you got?" she said. I heard a bit of shuffling and a slam, like a file cabinet draw closing.

"Is Walsh around? 'Cause if he get's wind of this…," I started.

"Oh god no," she said, irritated. "He headed home _hours_ ago, but don't worry. He's got his deputies working overtime on the important stuff, like photocopying 'Walsh for Sheriff' posters," she snapped snidely.

I put my hand to my face. "Please tell me that's a joke," I sighed hopelessly.

She didn't answer my question. "Well, the upside is I'm more than happy to call it quits for the night," she said, and I heard more shuffling behind her. "Where are you? I'll meet you there."

"Down at the docks," I said simply. "Near Shipwreck Sally's," I added when I noticed it just down the road from us.

She asked me to stay on the phone to catch her up as she drove down to us. I put her on speaker, so Flynn and I could catch her up on all that we'd found out. Not even ten minutes later, she pulled up beside us in her personal vehicle.

"Wow, that was fast," I hung up my phone and stuffed it back into my pocket.

She smiled. "Benefits of a small town. Nothing is more than ten minutes away," she slammed the door and got out to talk to us. "Besides, if what your 'informant' said is true, it's our best lead yet. We need to follow it up immediately."

"Yeah, we figured that part out already. Can we go find Kate now?" Flynn said impatiently.

"Woah, slow down a second," she pulled the brakes. "I'm not so sure heading out to the woods is the right move."

"Why?" I asked, a bit antsy myself.

She sighed. "For one thing, it's dark. We could miss something important, or even destroy evidence by accident."

"That's what flashlights are for," Flynn snapped.

Naomi put a hand on her hip. "I'm also _hoping_ that I'm the only one with a gun?" she asked, almost worried that she wasn't. Flynn and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Best thing I had was a pocket knife. "This could be dangerous. If things turn violent," she started. "You guys might not be safe," she gave us a worried frown.

Flynn shifted his weight. "Look, I get it. This isn't the most cautious way to play it, but my _sister_ could be out there. I can't risk something happening to her while we wait for the perfect circumstances," he argued. "As far as I'm concerned, either come with me, or stay out of my way," he snapped at her, knowing I was already on board.

"I'm with Flynn on this one, Naomi. Kate's life could be at stake," I pleaded with her.

She let out another long breath. "Fine, I understand." She pointed towards her car. "Get in. It's my car, so it shouldn't tip anyone off, not that this is official police business anyway."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

We climbed into the car, Naomi and Flynn up front and me in the back. She shot Flynn a skeptical look when he took shotgun and I didn't. The drive out to Crescent Lake, as Flynn called it, was so dark that she had to flip on the high beams just to see the road.

"So," Flynn was the first to talk after a mile or two of silence. "How's Walsh going to feel about you looking into this with us?"

"Oh, he'll be _monumentally_ pissed, which is why we'd better find something huge enough that even he can't ignore it," she said, her eyes focused on the road.

"You're welcome to bow out if you're too worried about the boss-man getting angry with you," he tossed back at her.

She let out a forced laugh. "Right, so you can just start beating on the first guy you see? I don't think so."

"I'm sorry," he retorted, "but remind me again who's turned up all the real leads in this case? Was it us, or the petty fascists that parade around as cops in this town?"

"Naomi is just here to help," I tried, but they were too busy arguing.

"Spare me, Flynn. Just because you can't handle authority-," she started.

"The _authority_ in this town is that rat bastard Tommy Walsh," Flynn spat. "If it were up to him, he'd just let my sister _die_! That's what you want me to handle?"

I groaned. "Would you two shut up?" Flynn looked back at me, shocked, but they both stayed quiet for a moment. "Why do you think she's here, Flynn?"

He looked back at the road. After a wile he said, "You're right. Sorry, I'm just… seriously on edge right now."

"We all are," I reassured him with my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Naomi said, sounding sure, "we're going to find your sister."

I leaned back against the seat. "About that. I know where we're going, but what's the plan?" Flynn didn't know either. She may have said it harshly, but he was better at the punching than he was at the planning.

"We'll search the location for any signs of Kate," she said simply.

"What if we find something?" I asked, _hoping_ we'd find something, but also hoping we wouldn't find… well, let's just say I wanted to make sure all our bases were covered.

"If we _don't_ find anything, I'll head back to the station and put in an official request for a search party tomorrow," she started.

"But if we _do_?" Flynn asked again for me.

She straightened herself up in her seat. "We do it by the book. I call it in to the station before we engage. Everyone clear on that?" she shot a look to Flynn.

"Yeah, that's not gonna work," I said for him, knowing he was thinking the same thing.

"Excuse me?" she asked, trying not to look over her shoulder at me as she was driving.

I spoke up, so they could hear me over the road noise. "Look, I know coming out here is a big risk for you, but this is my best friend we're talking about. Flynn's _sister_. If we find anything that may lead to where she is, we'll both do what we've been doing: rushing into danger without hesitation. There's no way in hell I'm waiting around for _Walsh_ to give the all clear."

"Damn straight," Flynn agreed.

Naomi looked pissed. "You called me because you needed my help. That means you play by my rules," she huffed. "Just because this is unorthodox, that doesn't change the fact that I am an officer of the law, and that means-," she cut herself off. "Who is that at this time of night?" she looked in the rearview mirror. I turned around to see a set of headlights coming up behind us and fast. Their engine revved loudly. As Naomi drove down the winding path, the car began riding her bumper.

"What the hell is this car doing?" I stared out at them, my eyes hurting from the bright lights as they flashed their high-beams.

Before anyone could say anything else, the car rammed Naomi's tail.

"Whoa!" Naomi tried to control the car.

"What is happening right now?" I held onto my seatbelt nervously. They hit us again, harder this time, causing the car to lurch forward.

"That wasn't an accident," Flynn turned around to stare through the rear windshield.

"Wait!" I shouted as I stared out the window with Flynn. "That car… it looks like…"

"A Dusk Avalon," Flynn finished.

The car hit us again. Naomi struggled to keep the wheel straight, speeding up to get away from them. One more hit and the car began to fishtail. Momentum took over and the car began to spin, but Naomi turned into it, gliding us out of it easily.

"Nice moves!" Flynn looked at her, impressed, but nervous.

"I got this," she muttered, teeth clenched.

"I hope so, 'cause the Avalon is catching up!" I said, turning back around to see. She sped up, beginning to lose it, but we all noticed the hairpin turn not even 100 yards in front of us. She slammed the brakes. _C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…_ The Avalon flashed its brights again.

"It's gaining on us," Flynn warned as we slowed way down, narrowly making the turn, but mid turn the Avalon smashed into the side of her car, pushing us off the embankment.

"Everybody hang on!" Naomi shouted as we began to roll.

I don't remember a lot of what happened next. It felt like a bad rollercoaster. I could smell smoke, but I couldn't see. My head was _killing_ me. I couldn't feel anything, and the only noise was this ringing in my ears.

"Tanner!" it was like a whisper… or like someone on the other side of the street was trying to get my attention. "Tanner, come on. Come back to me!" I opened my eyes, but it was still so dark. My head was throbbing, telling me to close them again, but I didn't listen. When my vision started to clear, I saw Naomi leaning over me. "Tanner?" she was really blurry, but I could tell it was her.

"Naomi?" I asked, just to confirm, holding my hand over my head.

"Oh, thank god you're alive. Can you move?" she let out a long breath before trying to sit me up. _I was lying down? What happened?_

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on body parts as I moved them. My arms were fine, my legs… "Yeah, I… I think I can," I tried to stand up, but my center of balance was thrown off.

"Let me help you," she said, grabbing my arms before I fell and holding me up.

I looked around, seeing the wreckage. The car was on its side, a fallen tree buckling the roof. _How did I get outside the car?_ Everything suddenly came back to me. "Flynn! Where's Flynn?" I panicked. Naomi looked lost in her thoughts, looking back up at the road, so I pushed away from her and wobbled towards the car. I climbed up onto the driver's side and looked through the window, hoping Flynn was alive. He was there. "Flynn?" I called to him. The one headlight that was still on flickered, reflecting on the bark of the tree we'd crashed into. It was only because of that dim flashing light that I saw his chest moving as he struggled to breathe. "Oh my god, Flynn."

His head turned up to me, looking bad. "Help me," he said, sounding weak "please."

"Naomi!" I shouted to snap her out of her trance. "I need your help to get him out!" I opened the driver door up and reached in towards him, but my arms weren't long enough. I climbed in, standing on the side of the passenger seat, and tried to undo his seatbelt. No luck. I pulled out my pocket knife and cut it, then tried to get him into a position I could carry him in. It was a small car, so it was a tight squeeze, but I eventually go him over my shoulder enough to push him up towards Naomi, who helped pull him out.

"Th-thanks," he practically whispered when we got him on the ground. He tried to stand, but crumbled immediately with a loud grunt.

"Flynn, stop. You're hurt," I said, when he tried to get back up.

"I'll be fine. We gotta… keep going," he tried again, failing once more. I looked down at his leg. He had a jagged gash down his shin, and he was holding one arm to his chest, trying not to use it as he tried to stand for a third time. When he noticed my face, he said, "It's nothing. I'm fine. Kate. We have to find Kate."

"The only thing you need to find is a hospital bed," I frowned, making him sit down.

"That's not going to happen any time soon," Naomi said, clutching her phone tightly in her hand. "No signal." She jumped up on the car and dug around in the backseat for a minute, before reemerging with a first aid kit. "It's not much, but…," she handed it to me. I took it and began to look through it for anything useful.

"C'mon. We don't have time for this. Let's get back on track and look for Kate!" Flynn yelled at me weakly.

I snapped and pushed on his shoulder. He let out a loud groan, but bit his lip to keep himself quiet. "Christ, Flynn!" I shouted. "You're going to sit here and let me bandage you up, do you understand me?" He huffed and looked to the side. "Now shut up and show me your leg," I ordered. I looked down at his shin. His jeans were ripped and covered in blood. I frowned, no longer angry. "That's deep."

"I've had worse," he pouted, flinching away from me as I went to touch it. When he looked up at my glare, he gave up. "Fine. Just be quick about it."

I pulled the bandage scissors out of the kit and cut his jeans, peeling them away from the wound. "Something's stuck here," I said before looking for some tweezers.

"Just what you always hope to hear about our open leg wound," he frowned and threw his head back against the tree he was leaning on.

I looked up at him, knowing this was about to hurt him really bad. I handed him one of the packaged gauze rolls. "Bite down on this…," I warned him.

"Why?" he asked, but he did it anyway. I waited until he had a good bite then began pulling the metal splinters out of his leg. His eyes went wide as he took a deep breath in, biting down on the buffer. After the third one, he squeezed his eyes shut and didn't make a sound, other than his heavy breathing. I used most of the antiseptic wipes that were in the kit to clean the dirt out of the gash. When I finished, I motioned for him to spit out the roll. "Urgh… daaaammmit," he groaned, handing the gauze back to me. I ripped open the plastic and started wrapping his leg.

"Almost done, I promise," I felt terrible. I knew I was helping, but I was also hurting him.

He let out a long sigh. "Thanks, Tanner. That feels better." I smiled up at him, noticing his expression had changed from angry to thankful. "Where'd you learn how to do this?"

I shrugged. "I have an older sister who likes to get herself hurt," I looked up at him, realizing they had more than a few similarities. She also had a quick temper and the stubbornness of a bull.

"Really?" he smiled. "I would have guessed military field training or something."

I laughed. "Or something. My sister tried to drive a motorcycle up a tree once," I recollected. "I had to clean her up when she got home because she didn't want mom and dad finding out," I said with a short laugh at the memory. I patted his good leg. "That's all fixed up, now let's look at that arm." I moved to his side to get a better look at it in the darkness. "What about you? You seem pretty cavalier about all this."

"I've taken a beating or two in my day," was all he said, and I remembered some of the things he'd told me about his life… It was rough.

"So this is nothing," I joked, taking his forearm away from his chest.

He let out a small laugh. "One time in the pen, a couple of neo-nazis tried to go after my friend Miguel," he said. "I knocked one guy out, but the other got me in the side with a shiv. I had to stitch myself up in my cell. That… that was something."

"God…," I looked down at him. He was pretty strong.

"Hey, no-one ever said life was easy, right?" he smiled.

"Mhm," I scrunched my face, feeling guilty.

Before he could ask, I moved his arm out and up. "Gaaaah!" he turned his head away from me.

"Yup, that's dislocated," I said to myself, putting his arm back down.

"God, that hurt!" he took deep breaths.

"Sorry," I flinched. He shook his head, letting me continue. "I'm going to feel for a tear. Let me know what hurts," I said.

He nodded. I gently massaged his shoulder with two fingers, feeling for any gaps or inflammation in the muscle. Between me and my sister, I knew a thing or two about a thing or two. "There," he winced. I felt a little lower and he flinched away from me a bit. "There."

I put my hands down. "Yeah, you tore something. If I try to pop your shoulder back in, it could make it worse."

"Is that all?" he asked sarcastically. "I was going to guess someone had ripped it off and beat me over the head with it."

I smiled empathetically before tearing open a bandage pack. I wrapped it around him like a sling, tying it over his shoulder. "Don't move that for a while. You need to get looked at as soon as we get back into town. I'm leaving this to the professionals."

He resigned and nodded. "Thank you," he looked up at me. "Seriously."

I smiled. "Any time, but don't make a habit of it, okay?" I joked.

"I'll try," he laughed weakly.

I stood up, holding my side a bit. _I probably just pulled something_. I offered my hand to him to help pull him up. He took it, kissing it before standing.

Naomi walked over to us when she realized we were done. She'd been looking around while I was fixing up Flynn. "No sign of the Avalon. It must have sped off after driving us off the road," she looked at her car and frowned.

"How did they find us?" I asked, letting Flynn lean on me.

Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe they were keeping tabs on you. Maybe they just got lucky. For all we know, the bro who tipped you off could have been in on it," she said, and I let out a heavy breath, feeling terrible.

"You think it was an ambush?" I asked.

"I have no idea. I just know someone tried to kill us, and," she threw a hand up to her car. "I'm not taking any of this lightly."

I looked away guiltily, looking into the forest. I saw something shining. "What's that?" I pointed. "Is that water?" I asked when I saw it ripple. My head was still hurting, so it was difficult to see clearly.

"Crescent Lake," Flynn nodded. "We must be pretty close to where that guy saw Kate."

"The Avalon could be anywhere, our phones are dead, and my radio's got nothing but static," Naomi said. "We should sit tight and wait for help."

"Or we could look around," I suggested, a bit irritated now that my mind was back on track. She sighed. "I know you want to do this by the book, but you said it yourself. Our phones are dead. We're stranded with no means of transportation. You don't expect us to just _sit_ here, do you?"

She looked up at the dark sky. "God help me, but no. I'm going to take a look around," she gave in.

"Good. I'm coming with you," I said, propping Flynn against a nearby tree.

"Looks like we'll be the three amigos, then," he said, taking a step forward then deciding the tree was a better place to be. "Dammit…," he mumbled when he finally realized he couldn't go.

"I'm sorry, O'Malley, but you have to stay here," Naomi frowned, feeling bad for him. He did look pretty pitiful, with his usual big-dog attitude giving way to that of a poor, injured shelter dog on a Sarah McLachlan commercial. "If whoever was driving that car shows up again, well, I'm not sure you'd be able to defend yourself." _Leaving him alone in the woods probably isn't much better_.

"She has a point, Flynn," I took his hand.

"I can do it," he looked at me pleadingly, a bit of anger coming from his humiliation. "Just… just give me a second."

"Flynn," I started. "I know how important this is to you, believe me, I do, but if you keep pushing, you could seriously hurt yourself," I said caringly.

He took a few short, irritated breaths. "I know, but-," he argued.

"You're no use to Kate like this," I said, hardening my expression, knowing this was the only way he'd listen. "You-," I didn't want to say it, but I had to, "you'll just slow us down and get in the way."

His spirit looked broken. His shoulders lost all fight and slumped as he leaned against the tree. "You're right… I'll wait here," he said.

I squeezed his hand. "I'll look hard enough for both of us. I promise I'll find her."

He nodded. "Yeah, okay."

I let my hand slip from his, his arm lingering in the air like he didn't want me to go. "We'll be back soon."

"Be safe," he called after me.

"I will," I turned and ran after Naomi into the woods.

She used her flashlight to look around and I used my phone's on my end. Between the dark patches of undergrowth and the tall trees spidering out above us, the whole scene was eerie. An owl hooted, causing me to jump and sending shivers down my spine. _Yup, that's not creepy at all. This whole thing is like Scooby Gang meets Slenderman._

Naomi laughed at me. "There's plenty to be worried about, but I'm sure I can protect you from the owls," she said, flashing her light up at it, making it fly away.

"My hero," I joked back before returning my focus to the ground and surrounding area.

"I'm still trying to figure out the motive behind all this," she said after searching in silence. "Did Kate have any enemies?"

"Who doesn't?" I asked. "The ones we know of are just petty ex-friends, but they wouldn't do something like _this_." We both thought for a second. "But, do you think this is about _Kate_ and not her connection to the Sterlings?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I'm just running over all the angles…" She pushed forward, making a path through thick bushes.

I was starting to think we were both lost. I had no idea where I was, since I'd never been here before, and she had only been in town for a month. "Probably should have asked sooner, but do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Not exactly," she said, which felt reassuring… "Just looking for any sign that someone has been through here recently. Once we fine one… we'll follow it."

That didn't make me feel better either. "Have you ever done this before? Finding a missing person, I mean."

"Not on the job, no," she started. "But there was this one time," she stopped. "I grew up in rural Wyoming, like, _really_ rural. Like, I didn't get internet service till I was ten."

"Oh, shame. What _ever_ did you do in your spare time," I mocked.

She rolled her eyes. "My parents had a ranch, so that's what we did. Anyway, we had a couple of farmhands who lived with us and one of them had a kid, Deni. When I was 13 and Deni was… I don't know, 6… he had this big fight with his dad and ran away," she explained. "We didn't realize it until that night. He'd been missing for hours in the middle of winter," she frowned, thinking of the memory. "The nearest town was three hours away, so we all split up and set out after him. I remember being out there in the dark, lips cracking from the cold, shouting his name until I was hoarse."

"Did you find him?" I asked when she paused.

She nodded. "Thank god, yes. He'd fallen into an old quarry and broken his leg. He was pretty banged up, but he was alive," she said. "I carried him to the rach on my back, and we got him to a hospital. He never ran away after that, I'll tell you what."

"I wouldn't either," I told her. "You really are a hero, huh?"

She cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Just… I can't imagine going through that at thirteen," I said, thinking about how irresponsible I was at that age. My sister had to yell at me about everything. "You should have been doing normal things, like," I thought of a few things that I did, but they weren't exactly 'normal', "well, normal teenage things," I decided to not share my examples.

She smiled. "If there's one thing I learned early on, Tanner, it's that normal was never in the cards for me." Hearing her say that then thinking about Flynn and Kate's childhood made me wonder if maybe mine wasn't so weird after all. Maybe having a crappy and interesting childhood happened to more people than it didn't happen to.

"So, how does a girl from backwoods Wyoming end up a deputy in Massachusetts, anyway?" I asked.

"Now that's a long story," she started, but looked over my shoulder and got real serious real quick. She grabbed my arm, pulling me down into the bushes and telling me to turn off my flashlight. I hid the light in my leg until I could fumble with the buttons on my phone.

"What is it?" I whispered lowly, looking around, but not seeing anything. My head was still pounding and making my eyes hurt.

"There's a building. Just up there," she pointed urgently. We tiptoed quietly through the bushes. The closer we got, the more apparent the building became. It was a run-down cabin, similar to the one we'd found on the Sterling property, but this one had a Dusk Toyota Avalon park outside with a smashed front bumper…

"I'm betting that's no coincidence," I pointed out the car.

Naomi drew her gun and eyed the area. "Stay _right_ behind me," she said slowly. I nodded, following her up to the cabin. We found a side door and stepped in. It was dark, but we could see the basic shapes of what looked like a couch up against the wall and a rug in the middle of the room. She stopped in front of me and knelt down to look at some muddy footprints on the floor. They looked fresh. "Looks like whoever it was came in, grabbed something, and headed back out," she said.

"The kidnapper, probably," I said under my breath.

"He knew we were close. Maybe he's covering his tracks," she surmised. _Flynn… I hope he's alright._

A loud thud echoed around the wooden room. "What was that?" I whispered, still not able to see as well as I should have.

"We're not alone," she crouched down just a little, though I was sure that if anyone was there, they would have heard us already. Gun raised, she motioned for me to follow her. we crept from the side door to the kitchen area. Another thump caused us both to flinch like roaches under a boot. She lost her balance and fell back on me, but I didn't catch her until I'd also lost my footing. We both fell to the floor, hitting at least three things on our way down. "Sorry," she helped me back up.

"I'm just glad you didn't shoot," I tried to joke, taking her hand. "So, I'm sure we're not a secret anymore, not that we've really been stealthy this whole time. Mind if I just turn on a light?" She nodded, and I felt along the wall until I found a switch. As I flicked the switch, a huge rat scurried across my feet and into its hole in the corner. I shivered. "That felt _super_ weird."

Naomi had a hand to her chest. "Ugh, I hate rats," she let out a long breath she'd been holding.

"I'm from New York. If I'm used to anything, it's rats," I half joked. "So, that explains the noise just a second ago, but what do you think made the bigger thud?"

She didn't respond. There was a padlocked door on the far side of the kitchen that had caught her eye. "The cabin was unlocked, but look at the size of the lock on this room," she pointed out.

I nodded. "There must be something pretty important behind that door," I agreed.

"Should we break it open? We sure as hell have probable cause," she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, not me.

"Duh, what if Kate's in there," I pushed passed her, grabbing a hammer out of a toolbox placed conveniently close to the door. It only took a few hits before the tumblers released the bolt. "Open sesame," I said like a badass catchphrase.

"Remind me not to get _you_ angry," she teased, pushing the door open. I kept the hammer, spinning it in my hand, in case we came across something this guy didn't want us to.

She turned on a light. The cobwebbed room was covered in random tools: a nail gun, thumbtacks, screwdriver, a math compass, and even a glue gun. The far wall was covered by a massive corkboard, filled with pictures of the Sterlings. Some were old photos, taken from the newspaper or year book or a polaroid, and some were relatively new, candid photos taken in an airport or a restaurant.

"This isn't creepy at all," I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures.

"This," she stuttered, "this is unnerving." She walked towards the board. "Look at this one," she pointed to a picture of Tanner and Pierce at the shipyard. "They must have been on the job."

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and picked the hammer back up. "Whoever lived here, whoever made this room… they're clearly obsessed with the Sterlings. I don't think Kate really had anything to do with it," I pointed out that the only picture of her in the room was one with Tanner.

"Maybe they didn't like that she was marrying into the family," she suggested.

I looked over my shoulder, thinking the worst. "You don't think…"

She frowned. "I don't know. We'll have to keep looking."

On the other side of the room from the corkboard was a shabby old desk with a beat up lockbox and a manila envelope on it. In the drawer of the desk, we found stacks of papers labelled "Sterling Shipping and Import, Inc." They were shipping records.

"Look at the way these shipments are circled," Naomi pointed out over my shoulder. "I think there's a pattern to it." I handed it to her and let her mull it over. "It looks like they were interested in the crates from Eastern Europe."

"Interesting," I said, completely baffled by why any of this had to do with Kate. I lifted the lid of the lockbox. A few loose, weathered papers were stacked on top of each other. I riffled through them. "These are genealogy charts… they date back to the 1600," I showed her an older one.

"I wonder what that's about," Naomi pondered.

I closed the box and picked up the envelope. "Woah! Look at this," I handed her a few of the photos that slid out depicting Tanner and Scarlett's affair… in high detail.

"Further proof that they were cheating," she said. "Oh my… I didn't know she was that flexible," she couldn't stop staring. I took the photos from her and slid them back into the envelope.

Another thud rang through the room. "That's coming from under us!" I looked down at the ground, searching for any way to get down there. Another thud proved my point. "Kate?" I asked loudly. I knelt down and pounded on the floor with my fist in a quick series of beats. In only moments, the thuds came back, finishing the beat… "Only Kate knows that," I stood quickly and moved furniture, looking for a trap door or stairs or anything.

"Ah, there's a rug in the living room," Naomi pointed out. I sprinted over and dragged the couch out of the way so I could pull the rug back. Sure enough, there was a trapdoor. I lifted it open, letting it drop on the other side, and rushed down the stairs faster than I'd ever done before. "Be careful! You don't know what's down there!" she called after me.

"Kate's down here," I said. That was all that mattered. "Kate?" I called. A muffled sound replied to me. Naomi flipped a switch, turning the light on. I looked around the dirt-floored basement until I saw… "Katie!" I wanted to rush over to her, but she looked… off.

She turned to me. She was still in her wedding dress. It was filthy and torn. Her face and arms were bruised and weary, and her hair was in knots. "Who… who's… I …," her eyes were glossed over. As she continued to mumble incoherently, she picked up a broken board. Her fingernails were split and bleeding.

"Whatever they gave her was strong," Naomi's face contorted into pure anger. I hadn't seen her like that before, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Katie-bear," I approached her slowly, not wanting to spook her. "Katie, it's me, Tanner." She began to beat the wall slowly and almost habitually. "Oh, Kate," I frowned at her, still moving towards her. When I got close enough, I wrapped my arms around her and pried the board from her fingers. "Katie, you're gonna be okay. I came to pick you up," I said, using the line we'd always said to each other when it was time to leave a bad party. She wrapped her arms around me loosely as tears streamed down her face. I held her tight, kissing the side of her head. "I'm so glad we found you," I whispered, feeling tears stream down my face, too.

"Tanner," she mumbled into my shoulder. "How… where…"

"I'll explain later. Let's get you out of her," I said, but I didn't let her go. "Everything's gonna be okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Naomi had called Chief Walsh about the scene. He was furious, but _had_ to investigate it. An ambulance drove me, Kate, and Flynn to the hospital. We refused to leave her, and neither one of us would let go of her hand. After sitting in the waiting room for what felt like hours, tapping and pacing uncontrollably, they let us into her room. Flynn and I sat on either side of her, each still holding her hands. She looked so damaged. I shuddered at the thought of what they might have put her through as I looked down at her bloodied fingertips.

"Oh, Katie-bear," I sniffed, unable to hold back my emotions. "I'm so sorry. I should have been faster," I hung my forehead on the edge of the hospital bed. My side twinged a bit, but it was nothing compared to what she went through.

Flynn couldn't say anything. He just stared at her haunting appearance, probably blaming himself as much as I was, if not more. He looked terrible, too, but I couldn't convince him to get himself checked out, even when all we could do was sit there and wait.

Finally, a doctor came in with a clipboard. We both stood, eager for information. Well, Flynn wobbled a bit, but he was standing.

"Hello," the small, tan woman greeted us somberly. "I'm Doctor Nadia Sidani. I've been heading up Kate's care," she introduced herself. "Are you Ms. O'Malley's family?"

I looked at Kate and hung my head. "Well-"

"Yes," Flynn answered, giving me a look. I smiled.

She glanced back and forth between us and nodded. "We've done a full assessment of her condition," she said, looking over the clipboard quickly before putting it down at her side.

"And?" Flynn urged her to continue.

"She's stable, no signs of physical trauma. She's been through quite the ordeal…," she looked down at my red-headed best friend with a frown, "but she should recover fully. Just give her time." Flynn let out the longest breath I'd ever heard, but I felt the same relief. "Are there any specific questions I can answer for you?"

"The bruises, do you know what caused them?" was the first of many questions.

She nodded. "They're likely the result of falls or bumps while she was being forcibly moved. They should heal in a week or two," she explained.

"What did they use to drug her?" I asked next.

She glanced down at the clipboard. "We found traces of an unknown sedative in her system, likely a custom drug cocktail," she said. "The base of which was identified as ketamine."

"Ketamine?" Flynn's nose wrinkled.

She nodded again. "That's what our analysis shows. It was likely injected at regular intervals. Whoever did so seems to have at least some rudimentary medical knowledge," she said, her words lingering in my head. _Grant has medical knowledge…_ I shook the thought from my head. _Now isn't the time. We'll come back to that later._

"I can't believe someone put that crap in her," Flynn's hard expression was softened by his sad eyes as he stared down at his sister.

"Ah," I started, needing to know the answer to my next question. "Were there any signs of sexual assault?" I almost forced myself to ask. I had to know, but I didn't want to hear what the answer could've been. Flynn's jaw tightened, and his hand balled into a fist.

"We've examined Miss O'Malley closely. There are no signs of sexual assault," she said assuredly.

"Oh thank god," I fell back into my seat, a hand on my heart, and let out the long breath that _I'd_ been holding in.

Flynn gave a sad look to Dr. Sidani. "How quickly with she recover?" he asked.

"She's dehydrated and slightly nutrient-deficient, but she ought to recover quickly now that she's in our care," she gave us both a caring, sympathetic smile. I nodded a thank you to her before turning back to Kate and taking her hand in mine again.

"Physically, anyway," Flynn growled lowly.

The doctor frowned. "Yes. The psychological toll of her experience is… harder to predict," she said, choosing her words. "Anything else I can answer for you?"

Flynn nodded. "When will she be able to tell us who did this to her?"

"It could be a matter of hours, theoretically, but… even after she regains her faculties, she may not be able to provide that information," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Flynn asked.

"Well, ketamine has been known to cause memory loss and disorientation. Combined with the psychological trauma of the last several days…," she trailed off. "I think you should prepare for the possibility that she won't be able to remember details of the event. I know how eager you are for answers, but pressuring her won't bring them to light any faster," she informed us. "If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask." She waited a moment before turning to leave the room.

Flynn leaned over Kate and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad we found you, sis," he whispered. "If something had happened to you… if you'd… I don't know how I'd," he fought back tears, turning away. I stood and walked over to him, squeezed his good shoulder gently, and left to give him some privacy.

Naomi was guarding the door to her room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "Has she woken up?" she asked, worried.

I shook my head. "The doctor says she hasn't sustained any serious injuries," I leaned against the wall across the hall from her. "And there's no sign of assault," sighed with relief again.

"You must be happy to hear that," she smiled.

I nodded. "You have no idea," I smiled weakly back at her. "Though it sounds like she was drugged almost continuously, so they're not sure if she'll remember anything."

"Still," she said, "it's a huge win. Even Walsh can't ignore this, and I promise you, I will personally tear down this town to find whoever did it." Her brow furrowed.

I smiled. "Thanks, Naomi. For everything."

"How are _you_ feeling?" she asked. "This is a lot to process."

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest, wincing just a bit. "I'm worried. This wasn't the work of some amateur, and whoever did it is still out there," I fidgeted nervously. "We rescued Kate, but I don't think this is over. Now we've gone and slapped massive targets on our backs. I mean, you saw the guy's house. He's got a vendetta against the Sterlings and Kate was part of that somehow. Now we've messed up his plan."

Naomi switched to my side of the hallway and leaned next to me. "I'll protect you, Tanner. That's a promise."

We stood there in silence, lost in our own thoughts, for a while. Soon, Flynn came out into the hallway. "She's awake," he said, beaming.

I shot up. "Already? That's fantastic!"

His smile faded. "I gave her a quick rundown on what happened, and she wants to see you… both," he looked from me to Naomi. We nodded and followed him back into the room.

Kate was sitting upright in the bed, but she still looked groggy. She reached her hands out to both of us and we each took one. "My rescuers," she beamed weakly up at us.

"Katie-bear, it's _so_ good to see you," I put her hand to my cheek.

"Nice to meet you, Miss O'Malley," Naomi smiled.

"How…did you find me?" she asked.

I felt a tear run down my face again. She smiled up at me and twitched her finger gently to wipe it away. "We never stopped looking," I said, looking at Flynn. "We were so worried," I had to sit down. I was getting seriously choked up. Flynn blushed, looking away. I laughed a bit, thinking about how cute he looked, even though he was still dinged up. "Don't let him pull the 'modest' act. He was _relentless_. He even beat a guy up," I teased, letting my laugh come out more as I rubbed circles on the back of Kate's hand.

"These two both refused to give up, despite the _strong_ evidence of our police chief," Naomi told her.

Katie smiled as wide as she could. "I always knew Flynn and Tanner were the best people in the world," she said before her smile dropped. "All of you…," she reached out for Flynn to join us around the bed. He stood next to Naomi and gave Kate's hand a comforting squeeze. "You saved my life. I don't even know how to thank you. There's no way _to_ thank you," her eyes lit up as they met each of ours, but she was still frowning.

"Just get better, okay?" I kissed her hand. "That's thanks enough."

Flynn turned his head. "Don't thank us until we find the bastard who did this. There's no way we're letting him get away with what he did to you," he growled.

"Speaking of," Naomi said before Flynn could make anymore threats, "do you remember anything about your kidnapper?"

Kate leaned back on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut to concentrate. "It was… a man," she started.

"Do you remember what he looked like? Any details?" Naomi asked.

Kate shook her head. "No, he had a mask on, I think. But it was weird, like… like a red demon or something… it was terrifying," she frowned, cringing at the memory.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it," I rubbed her hand again.

"No!" she said with as much energy as she could muster. "I want to. I _have_ to," she closed her eyes again, thinking. She squeezed mine and Flynn's hands. "It's just that nothing's really clear," she opened her eyes. "I have a few images, but it's like trying to remember a dream."

"That's probably because of the drugs he injected you with," I told her.

"In the basement," she tried to think again. "He would bring me food. I remember… TV dinners and soda?" she shook her head to get her thoughts together. "I can picture the cellar, but it's blurry, too. I couldn't stay awake like I wanted to. Sometimes I wasn't sure if I even _was_ awake… I think I tried to escape, but that might have been a dream, too…" Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, wait, there was a knife! I'm sure that was real!" she sounded sure.

"A knife?" I asked, alarmed.

She nodded. "It was hidden in the basement, under the mattress. I tried…," her expression hardened and she looked an awful lot like her brother, but her voice broke and tears streamed down her face. She pulled her hands back from us and covered her face. "Oh, god, I think I tried to stab him with it!" she cried.

"Did you… succeed?" Naomi asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. It was so heavy. I don't think I even managed to really lift my arm," she explained. "But still, I … I tried… I tried to stab a man. That's… I'm … _horrible_ ," she sobbed into her scabbed hands.

"Kate, it's okay," I reached out to her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He deserved it. The man kidnapped you, drugged you, and held you hostage. Anything you did was self-defense," I told her, rubbing her leg over the blanket.

"Hell," Flynn added, "if he were here now, I'd stab him myself, and I'm stone sober."

She peeked out from behind her fingers, tears still going, but a small smile on her face. "Thanks, Flynn. That's… weirdly comforting."

I laughed. "Flynn, if you need backup, I'm happy to help," I grinned up at him evilly.

"Um," Naomi took a step back. "Still a police officer, over here," she gestured to her uniform. "Maybe let's tone down the stabbing talk?"

Kate giggled and we all stared at her. It was the first time she'd genuinely smiled since she woke up and it was heartwarming. Suddenly, she bolted upright. "Oh my god, the wedding!" she almost shouted. "I forgot about my own wedding! Who does that?" she shook her head, disappointed in herself. "But… Where's Tanner? Didn't he want to find me?" she asked. Flynn and I shared a serious look, both of us not wanting to tell her yet. She fell back, tears flooding her eyes again. I was surprised she'd had enough left. "Did he even bother to look for me? Or… or is he with another woman already?" she swallowed hard and bit her lip anxiously. "I… I don't know if you guys know, but… Tanner's been cheating on me…," she told us from behind her hands. Flynn and I shared another look, much more grave.

"You're certain of this?" Naomi asked, needing confirmation from Kate herself.

Kate's tone got more angry. "I mean, I'm not _certain_ , but I suspected," she said. "It's… well, it's how the kidnapper lured me away from the wedding," she informed us, getting all of our attention. "I was in the dressing room, and I got a text from an unknown number," she recollected. "He said he had proof Tanner was cheating… that I should meet him outside. I couldn't help it. I ran out there right away. Didn't even stop to change out of my gown, and then… he grabbed me. He pressed something over my mouth and everything went blurry," she said. _Chloroform_. "The next thing I remember is the cabin."

"I'm so sorry, Kate. That sounds terrifying," I took her hand, just glad she was okay now.

She pulled away from me, pulling the covers up over he shoulders, the light fading from her eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm… just so… tired," she barely got out, her eyelids starting to flutter. Flynn squeezed her shoulder before hobbling out the door, Naomi at his heel. I kissed her forehead and started towards the door, but she spoke up before I left. "Actually, Tanner, please stay. There's something I want to talk to you about…"

"Of course," I sat back down on the edge of the bed, this time on the side Flynn had been on previously. "I know I've said this already, but it's just so good to see you. Awake… and… alive," gosh I'd become such a crybaby. "For a while I thought maybe…," I shook my head, and she took my hand.

"Well, I'm not. I'm here with you. And I'm fine," she smiled, but I could tell she was lying to cheer me up. "I still can't wrap my head around this," she sighed. "I was supposed to be on my honeymoon right now, throwing back a tequila shot."

I looked up at her. "You were going to Mexico?"

She shook her head. "No, Switzerland. I just love tequila shots," she giggled. I couldn't help but laugh with her. Same old, same old.

"Never change, Katie," I held her hand in both of mine.

"Pretty sure I couldn't, even if I tried," she smiled. "What about you, Tanner. It's been so long… Have you changed?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm still the boring kid you made your project in freshman year," I said.

She squinted at me. "No, you're different."

"How so?" I asked.

"You're more serious now. You look all smart and impressive," she grinned, sitting up to look me in the eyes. "So…," her grin turned devilish. "Is there anyone special? Maybe a wedding invite from _you_ sometime soon?"

I shook my head. "Oh, no, I'm done with weddings for a while after this, I think," I tried to joke. "Not to mention, my love life has been basically nonexistent for the last six months," I said. "I think I'm working too hard." _Wow, I've never said that in my life._

"You'll find someone when you're ready," she smiled.

"Actually, there is someone I've got my eye on," I hinted nervously, wondering how she'd feel about it.

"Really?" she beamed. "Who?" I scratched the back of my neck. "You'd better tell me, Tanner. You'll hurt my feelings if you don't," she teased, pretending to pout.

"Okay, okay," I laughed. "It's… Flynn," I blushed and looked away.

She coughed. "Oh, em, gee. You have a thing for my brother?"

"What? Um, no, it's just… we've been spending a lot of time together and… well," I fumbled my words. "He's just not like anyone I've ever met, you know?"

Her eyes widened, showing her excitement. "If you married Flynn, we'd be _actual_ siblings," she giggled.

"Woah now. Don't get ahead of yourself, O'Malley," I laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you can't stop me from _thinking_ it, though!" We both laughed.

She took a sip of water and my eyes fell to her ring on the table near the glass. I looked away guiltily. _I can't tell her. She's been through enough today_.

"The wedding's off isn't it?" she asked, noticing my guilt.

"I think so… yeah," I looked down at my hands.

She let out a long sigh. "You know what's weird? I know I should be devastated, but there's a part of me that's relieved."

I shook my head. "That's not weird. The situation with his family was hard enough as it was, but with him cheating… No-one would ask you to stay for that."

"I mean," she hung her head, "I love Tanner. He makes me happy, but… sometimes I feel like I love the _idea_ of Tanner more than I love Tanner himself, you know?"

"Well, we Tanners are usually pretty cool people," I pretended to flip my hair.

I made her smile for a second, but she continued. "Before meeting him, I had some… rocky relationships," she said, seeming like the term 'rocky' was an understatement. "I dated one guy who turned out to be in a biker gang, this nice older gal who split town the second I got serious, oh, and _two_ different guys who turned out to be married," she frowned.

"That's rough," I sympathized.

"Seriously," agreed. "After all that, Tanner felt so _good._ Like I'd finally found my prince. For a while, it was really magical. Then it seemed like a switched flipped, like there was suddenly more bad than good," she explained. "We fought all the time, one of us would get jealous… It was like we both knew it wasn't working, but neither of us had the guts to leave."

I put my hand on her leg. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Part of me always knew he'd cheat on me," she said, looking defeated. "I think maybe I'm just… someone that people leave."

That hurt my soul. I knew I was included. I hadn't been around as much as I should have been. I felt so guilty. "What about Flynn?" I asked. "He'd take on the _world_ for you, and probably win," I grinned.

"That's my big brother," she smiled. "But things have been different since he got out of prison. Like there's a wall he doesn't want me to climb over."

I nodded. "He was worried that if he stuck around, he'd pull you down. He's ashamed, Kate. I don't think he can stand the idea of you losing respect for him, so he pushes you away instead," I explained.

"I would _never_ judge him. I _love_ him," she argued, brokenhearted.

"He knows that, but," I tried to figure out how to word it, "he can't stop judging himself."

She wiped her eyes. "Enough heavy stuff," she forced a smile. "Let's talk about something fun!" she sat up and took my hand.

"Oh, I've got it," I said. "I'm pretty upset with you," I started, and she frowned, not hearing what she expected. "Why didn't you mention your brother to me sooner? He's amazing," I smiled. She laughed. "No, seriously. You mentioned him maybe… once before. You should have told me. You two have _so_ much in common. You don't really look like each other, but your smiles are the same and you both get angry when people close to you are hurting."

She grinned widely. "You're really into him," she teased.

"Oh, shut up," I laughed. "You're lucky to have him around. There's never a dull day with him," I smiled.

"So, what are you doing to do in town for the rest of your stay?" she asked. "Go on some _dates_ maybe?" she teased.

I shrugged. "I don't know…," I wasn't sure if Flynn would even want to, now that we found Kate. That was the main reason we were together, after all. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead. Regardless of what _I_ do, though, I'll probably hear more sex stories from Ms. Harlenay. Those seem," I grimaced, "unavoidable."

Kate laughed. "Oh my god, she's a hoot, isn't she? Did she tell you about her threesome in a submarine?"

I covered my ears. "I don't want to hear about that," I laughed. "It's bad enough that I can't look at handcuffs the same way, now I'll have to avoid submarines, too."

Another hour of us laughing at old memories and catching up went on until her eyelids started to flutter and she began drifting in and out of the conversation.

"I think it's time for _you_ to go to sleep," I laid her down and propped her head up with the pillow.

"Maybe you're right," she agreed as I pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, tucking her in. "Will you be here later?"

"I promise," I kissed her forehead. Before she could say anything else, she was out like a light.

I headed out of the room and into the hallway. My side was killing me from all that laughing. I leaned on the door to the restroom and waited until I was the only one in there before pulling up my shirt in front of the mirror. I had a red and purple bruise running from my armpit down to the lower part of my ribcage. I sighed, putting my shirt back down. _I figured. Broken rib._ I splashed some water on my face and tried my best to force a genuine smile.

A few minutes later, I met Flynn and Naomi down in the waiting area.

"How'd it go?" Flynn asked, _still_ not having seen a doctor yet.

"Really good, actually," I told him. "She's sad, obviously, and confused, but she's still the same old Kate under that." I plopped down in the seat across from them.

"Did," Naomi started, "did you tell her about Tanner?"

I shook my head. "No way. She couldn't handle that right now. Let her rest and we'll tell her later."

She nodded. "I should probably head back to the station and bring Walsh up to speed. He's going to have a _lot_ of questions," she stood up.

Flynn hoisted himself onto his good leg. "Good plan. I'll head back to the cabin, see if there are any clues you guys missed."

"Uh, no you won't,"

"The hell you will," Naomi and I said, respectfully. He shot us both frustrated looks.

"I called this in, remember?" she continued. "The force is probably crawling all over the place by now."

He huffed. "All the more reason for me to get down there."

I pushed him back down and he fell with a sharp breath in. "If that wasn't enough of a reason," I leaned over him, "you're in no condition to leave this hospital. I'm in better shape than you right now. Don't make me force you." He grumbled something under his breath. "How haven't you had this checked out yet, anyway?" I looked around. "You've just been hobbling around a hospital with a makeshift sling and a limp and _nobody_ noticed?" I was beginning to get frustrated with this town.

"We had more important things to worry about," he growled lowly.

"Sure, but you promised you'd get checked out as soon as we got to the hospital, remember?" I glared at him. "Don't tell me you're not a man of your word," I attacked his pride.

Naomi shook her head. "Kate's fine, and you're already _in_ the hospital, for Christ's sake."

"Fine!" he barked. "Just to get you off my back, though," he glared between the two of us. I smiled and helped him up to the front desk, throwing his good arm around my neck. He blushed. Naomi took the opportunity to bow out, giving me a wave and a smile. It didn't take long for a nurse to usher him down the hall to get him looked at.

I sat down in the closet chair and held my face in my hands. _Everybody's taken care of_. I let out a long breath. It'd been a _very_ long night and I hadn't slept since I'd woken up the day before. I… just needed a minute…

I didn't get it, though, because Grant rushed in through the doors as I was finally taking my breather… _Right. I texted him earlier._

"Tanner! I got your text," he said.

I smiled up at him. "Emerson! Thanks for coming."

"How's Kate?" he asked, nervous.

"Shaken, but she's going to be alright. She just needs some rest," I was a bit jealous of her at this point. "She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago, so we shouldn't bug her for a while."

He let out a sigh of relief. "That's fantastic news," he smiled. "I should have brought flowers, anyway. This gives me time to go get them. Would you like to join me?"

"Always the gentleman," I teased.

"What can I say, I was raised right," he joked back.

I stood up. "Sure, I'll go with you. I should pick up some flowers, too."

"Fine, fine, steal my thunder why don't you," he smirked.

I grinned. "Hey, it's your fault for revealing your devious plan… to be nice to a friend," I laughed.

He led me out of the hospital and around the corner to the downtown section of Bridgeport that they called "Olde Towne". It was a charming, colonial style main street filled with little shops and apartments. Every lamppost was decorated with fresh flowers.

"This place is adorable," I said, looking around.

"It's my favorite part of Bridgeport," he said.

I gave him a quizzical look. "Really? But your house is… well basically the exact opposite of all this."

He shrugged. "I actually admire the architecture. It's not what I want to live in, but that doesn't mean it's not beautiful," he looked around at the brick buildings. "But the main draw," his eyes fell to a couple crossing the sidewalk, "is the sense of community. All these stores have been here for generations. All the families that own them know each other. They look out for each other." I looked around, noticing what he'd meant. I'd missed it before, since I'd been so focused on finding Kate and interacting with the people I _didn't_ want to be around. A shopkeeper walked his customers out to the street, waving goodbye at them. People nodded hellos to each other as they passed each other. It really did seem like a warm town… that is… if I hadn't seen the bad side already, but the few have been known to ruin it for the many. "When I spend time down here, it feels like I'm part of something bigger."

"That's a sweet sentiment," I smiled at him, "but I know what you mean. There are some neighborhoods back home in Brooklyn like this." I got stuck in my memories for a moment. "I once wrote about a family-run bodega that burned down, and the everyone in the community pitched it to help them rebuild." It was one of the stories I'd written that got me hired at the newspaper I worked at. The Chief there said that there was so much heart in it that she couldn't turn me away. Since then my reporting had only gotten better and I'd seen so much of the world.

"Sounds like New York isn't so different from a small town after all," he grinned and stopped walking, looking at the shop behind me. It read, 'Putnam's Taffy.'

I laughed. "Wait, an entire shop _just_ for taffy? Seriously?"

"Saltwater taffy is something we take _very_ seriously around these parts, I'll have you know," he snickered.

"So why aren't we eating it yet?" I joked. "Saltwater taffy is quite possibly the best thing that New England has ever contributed to the world."

He let out a hardy laugh. "Not… oh, I don't know, all those presidents? Or the Ivy League? Or the lobster roll?"

I shook my head, keeping the joke going. "Not even Sinatra can live up to taffy. It's the pinnacle achievement for the region," I couldn't keep it up without laughing.

After stopping in the shop for some sweets, we made our way to the flower shop a block away. The breeze was soft and the air smelt like the sea. "It's so peaceful right now," I let out a sigh. "It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that this place is hiding such dangerous people," I thought about Kate and all that she'd been through, the Sterlings and their threats… even the Chief of Police was underhanded.

"Was Kate able to I.D the guy?" Grant asked.

I shook my head. "No. All we know is that he's a man…," I looked down at the bag of taffy I'd bought for me and Kate. She loved sweets. "It's not really helpful, but we know that he's got a bit of medical knowhow and a hot temper… and that he's still out there somewhere… out _here_ somewhere," I narrowed it down, feeling a bit unsafe, since we figured he knew who we were at this point. Suddenly the wind didn't feel so nice anymore. It was cold, and the sun seemed distant. "How's Scarlett holding up?"

He hung his head. "Not awesome. She's a wreck."

I understood. "I'm sorry, Grant. It's hard to watch people you love in so much pain," I related. My life had been quite a rollercoaster, even before this long weekend started. I'd seen my fair share of heartbreaks, first and second hand.

"Yeah, this whole thing… it's been rough on everyone," he looked up at me.

When we got to the flower shop, we were greeted by a stand outside on the street with snow white star lilies and purple daisies spilling out of their wooden tubs onto the sidewalk. The shopkeeper came out when she noticed us looking. She was an older lady with weathered features and curly grey hair. She waved and winked at Grant as he began pointing at which flowers he wanted in his bouquet.

"Um, I-I'm not that great at flower arrangements," I said, realizing I didn't even know what to get Katie. I was hopping to pick out an already made assortment or some pink roses.

Grant patted my shoulder. "Don't worry. Miss Chao will take care of you. She's an artist," he smiled at her and she beamed. "You'll never see a more gorgeous bouquet in your life. All you need to know is Kate's favourite flower."

"That I can handle. She loves tulips," I said confidently, remembering all those times in school when she'd study by the flower boxes in the quad.

"I've always liked tulips," Grant nodded. "After a New England winter, they're like therapy for your eyes."

I nodded. "I think that's what Kate loves about them. They're this blaze of light and color when you need it the most. Much like herself," I smiled warmly.

"Perfect for the occasion, then," he said as we watched Miss Chao add other flowers between the rainbow assortment of tulips, one of which I recognized as baby's breath, but the others just looked like flowers to me. I was pretty useless when it came to this kind of stuff, but it looked beautiful.

She handed my choice to me and Grant's to him. He'd centered his around sunflowers, which I was sure would make her smile. "We should get these back to Kate. I can't wait for her to see how pretty they are," I fiddled with the purple plastic protecting the tulips until they reached their destination.

"Absolutely," he started, "just as soon as I we make a _very_ important stop." I glanced over at him, cocking my head a bit. He pointed to a fountain in the middle of the intersection. The centerpiece was a mermaid bursting up and throwing water out of her cupped hands.

I shook my head. "Fine," I smiled. As we approached, the pennies and quarters at the base reflected the sun with an almost blinding shine. "Lemme guess, we're making wishes?" I asked knowingly.

"Never pass up the chance, right?" he fished a penny out of his wallet. "There's a trick to it, though," he looked very seriously at me before turned so his back was to the fountain. He kissed the penny then tossed it over his head. It made a plopping sound as it hit the water and sank quickly to the bottom. "You're turn," he smiled. "Need me to demonstrate again?"

I rolled my eyes with a shrug. "You might have to. It looks _super_ complicated. I might mess it up."

He laughed and handed me a penny. I looked down at it as I turned around. _What the hell, right?_ I kissed the penny and flicked it over my head. It made a high arc then landed in the water with a splash.

"What'd you wish for?" he asked.

I laughed. "No dice, I'm not telling. No way am I going to ruin the magic after all those complicated steps," I smirked. "I need this wish to work." _I wish that everybody ends up happy when this mess is over. Especially Katie._

"That was a test," he chuckled. "Passing _totally_ boosts wish granting power."

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Emerson," my smile began to fade. _I hope you're right._

As we turned to leave, Grant's phone buzzed. He pulled it out and frowned almost immediately, clearly frustrated. "Looks like I need to swing by my office for some paperwork," he sighed. "I swear, half my clients still believe the internet's a series of tubes…," he rolled his eyes with a brief laugh. "It's not far from here. Come with me? Kate's probably still resting anyway."

I furrowed my brow. "I should head back. I don't want to damage these," I held up the beautiful bouquet, "and Flynn is probably giving the nurses hell. _Someone_ has to keep him in check," I tried to smile, but the look on his face was sadder than I'd expected.

"I understand," he said. "I hope she wakes up soon. I can't wait to see her," he smiled weakly.

"I'll see you there in a little bit?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'll make this quick. See you there."

We went our separate ways. I walked back the way we came towards the hospital, enjoying the street noise. It felt like home. When I got back to the hospital, I headed up to Kate's room. There was a tall glass vase on the table beside her. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I filled the glass with water at the sink and set the flowers in it. I pulled out my wallet and slipped a penny into the bottom of the glass. My mother was superstitious and told a lot of wife's tales, the one of which that's relevant at the moment being, "If you put a penny at the bottom of the vase and it lands heads up, the flowers will last longer." I didn't know if I believed it, but it had become a habit anytime I'd given a girl flowers, be it my mom, my grandmother, or a girlfriend. The penny spun as it fell to the bottom of the glass, landing on its side. _That's different._ I tapped the glass and it fell face up. I smiled. I looked down at Kate, her bruised and tired face looking so innocent as she slept. _Oh, Katie._ I tried to make as little noise as possible as I snuck back out of her room.

After sitting in the lobby for a little while, Grant came in. By the time we got up to Kate's room, she was awake.

"Hey, Katie-bear," I beamed down at her. "I came bearing gifts," I held up the bag of taffies, "and Grant's," I stepped out of the way to allow the tall dark man to make his entrance.

"Grant!" she grinned. "It's so amazing of you to come!" He leaned down to give her a one-armed hug. When he stood up, he whipped the flowers from behind his back like it was a magic trick. Her face lit up. "Aw, you guys! They're beautiful," she took the sunflowers in her hand and sniffed them, feeling the soft peddles on her fingertips. "Yours are pretty, too, Tan," she grinned slyly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I joked, wondering how she knew they were from me.

"The penny," she giggled. I rolled my eyes. _Of course._ Grant filled a vase that was on the far table with water and took the flowers from her, unwrapping them and fluffing them out so they filled the room with sunshine. "I love you guy-," she started, but was interrupted by the door _slamming_ open.

Walsh and Duffy burst into the room, Naomi on their heels. The Chief looked furious.

"Excuse you, this is a _hospital_ ," I snapped.

"Sir, she needs res-," Naomi reached out for him, but he slapped her hand away.

"Like hell!" he shouted. "The only thing this one needs is a long stay in a small cell!" you could see the steam coming from his ears.

Duffy frowned. "Sir, please, maybe you should… I mean, I'm not sure she knows about… about Tanner," as his words left his mouth I could feel my heart race. _No. No, no. No, no, no, no._

"Knows?" Chief Walsh snapped. "You drooling moron, she _killed_ him!" he spun back around to glare at Kate, who was completely in shock.

"What? No!" I yelled at him, stepping forward to guard my best friend.

"Wh- what? What are you… Tanner, what's going on?" her voice was soft, still weak, but I could hear the tears and fear welling up in her. "Tanner… he's not… he…"

I turned around to face her, not knowing what to say. "I-"

"Don't play dumb with me, you she-devil," Walsh spat.

"No!" Katie yelled. "Why would you say that? He can't be dead, you're lying!" she shook her head, her hands over her ears. She glared up at Walsh then turns to me, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"I-I'm so sorry, Kate, I-," I stuttered. "I didn't want you to find out like this. I should have said something, but… I didn't… you've been through so much," I tried to explain, taking her hand, but she pulled away from me and my heart sank. She buried her face in her hands, her eyes wide as a silent scream shaped her face. Her body began to shake as tears poured out of her unblinking eyes. "I'm so sorry!" I collapsed on the edge of the bed and wrapped my arms tightly around her. "I'm so sorry," I said again.

Walsh began clapping slowly. "Yes, very _touching_ , really. You could have a career on stage," he mocked. I spun my head around to glare at him, my lip starting to twitch at all the disgust I held for him. "That act isn't gonna work on me. We've got a tidal wave of evidence against you, missy."

Before I could yell at him, Naomi stepped closer to him. "With all due respect, sir, Kate is a _victim_. We found her heavily sedated in a cabin basement!" she told him.

He snorted. "Yeah, and if you'd bothered with some proper police work for once, you'd have found the evidence yourself, Silverhawk," a nasty smile began to work its way across his face. "It was all right there in the cabin where you 'saved' her. Show 'em, Duffy," he waved his hand and Duffy scrambled to attention.

"Y-yes, sir, I have it right here," he held up an evidence bag with a long knife, caked with dried blood.

Walsh's grin only got bigger. "This right here is the knife used to kill Tanner Sterling," he said. "The blood on the blade is his, and the prints on the handle," he scowled, "are hers." He pointed accusingly towards me as I sheltered Kate from his horrible face. She shook violently in my arms.

"Oh my god," Grant mumbled, standing in the corner.

Walsh began waving the bag around me, trying to get Kate to look at it. "You remember it, don't you, sweetheart? The knife you used to slit Tanner's throat?"

I swatted his hand away. "That's enough!" I snapped, still holding her. " _This_ is how you handle a case?" I hissed. "She was _imprisoned_ for Christ's sake! How in the world could she have done any of this _and_ drugged herself for several hours in a locked basement all within the same day? Maybe _you_ should look at the evidence, you fat sack of-"

"Tanner!" Naomi stopped me. I was fuming.

"Hiding out in the cabin was just a set up!" he was red with anger. "The truth is, she found out that he was cheating and couldn't stand it, so she killed him!" He huffed, readjusting his belt. "We've got the murder weapon… plus one hell of a motive… Duffy, show them the photos. Just in case anybody still feels like arguing," he glared at me.

Duffy pulled an envelope out of his bag and slid a few of the pictures out into his hand, showing them around the room. "These are… well… a little indecent…," he warned as he showed me and Grant.

I'd already seen the photos, so my reaction wasn't as big as Grant's. He looked so taken aback and disgusted, which made sense, saying as it was his _sister_ sleeping with his best friend.

Walsh snatched the photos as Kate tried to reach for them. "No need to show these to you, seeing as you're the one who took them!" he shouted at her.

"I… I…," she started, but she couldn't get a word out between her shock and the evil man glaring down at her. I took her hand in mine as she sat up straight, both of us turning to look at the chief as he paraded around the room like an ugly, angry hippopotamus.

"It must have eaten away at you, watching those two go at it on his yacht, one of the many things you wanted for yourself," he badgered. Kate shook her head again and again, unable to speak. "I'll give you this much, you crafted one hell of an alibi. Faking your own kidnapping, waiting until everyone's convinced something happened to you to take your revenge," he shook his head, making tsk sounds.

"Stop it!" I barked at him. "You don't have _any_ evidence of that. All you have is a knife, which she used in _self-defense_ against her kidnapper. Tell me this, if she was so _crafty_ at setting this all up, why would she have kept the knife _with_ her, huh? Why not get rid of it or at the very least clean it off?"

"Honestly, Walsh, you can't really believe this," Grant backed me up.

Naomi agreed. "Sir, I think we need more time to investigate this."

He stuck his nose in the air, pretending not to hear us. "Duffy, read her her rights."

"What the-," I wrapped my arms around her again. "This can't be happening," I said in disbelief.

"There's no way you have enough evid-," Grant argued, but Walsh slammed his hand on the table, making the sunflowers tip over, spilling water out onto the table and down onto the floor.

"I've got a winning case here, Mr. Emerson. You're a bigshot lawyer, you should know that," Walsh spat.

"I _just_ said you don-," he was cut off again but by me this time as Walsh pulled me off of Kate.

"Get your _filthy_ hands off of me," I struggled as Duffy began to speak the Miranda Rights.

"You have the right to remain silent," he started, carefully putting the first cuff on her bruised wrist. She looked so defeated, staring blankly down at the bed.

"Now, Silverhawk, clear the scene!" he ordered.

"I…," she looked at Kate then at me. "I refuse."

His jaw dropped, and he let me go. I landed back on the bed, holding Kate's face in my hands, and told her that I was going to figure this out and save her.

"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you," Duffy continued, putting the other end of her cuffs on the bed rail reluctantly.

"Fine! Then I'll clear it myself!" he shouted, pulling me back again. I fought him, but his elbow collided with my ribcage and I recoiled just enough for him to throw me out into the hallway.

Grant caught me before I fell to the floor. "Don't fight him, Tanner. It'll only make things worse," he said. "We'll beat him in a court of law. That's a promise," he glared up at Walsh. I stared passed the pig to Kate, who was crying silently on the bed. _Kate…_

"Kate!" I grunted, noticing it hurt to yell. "We'll fix this! I promise!"

Walsh slammed the door between us and left us out in the hall. Grant looked down when he noticed I'd been clutching my chest protectively as I slid out of his grip to the floor.

"Tanner, what happened? Did he hit you that hard?" he hissed toward the door.

I shook my head. "No, this..," I wanted to keep pretending I was okay, but, like Flynn, I couldn't keep it up forever. "I got hurt during the accident," I propped myself up against the wall, letting my head fall back.

He moved my hand and lifted my shirt. I looked away, knowing what his reaction would be… or so I thought. "Nurse! Somebody!" he shouted, throwing me off. I didn't think it was that bad when I'd seen it in the mirror earlier…

"It's just a cracked rib or two, what's the fuss for?" I asked, knowing that they couldn't do anything for that. You can't put a brace on a fractured rib. I looked down when he stood up to go find someone. My chest had gone from red and a bit purple to mostly purple and getting darker. _You've got to be kidding me_.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next few hours for me were spent in the hospital getting x-rays. Four of my ribs on my right side were cracked, one of which was completely fractured and had pinched a muscle. There wasn't a ton that could be done about it, since it was a rib, so they gave me some painkillers like acetaminophen and codeine for the next few weeks while it healed. When I left the ER, Flynn was waiting for me in the lobby. His arm looked like it was back in place, which was good.

"Flynn," I smiled as he limped toward me. "How's your arm?" I asked, since I hadn't seen him in quite a while.

"Just a tear. I'm fine," he shook his head briefly to show that it wasn't important. "What about you? Why didn't you say anything before?"

I held my hand over my ribs and forced a smile. "This? It's nothing. Don't even worry about it," I waved my other hand, blowing off my pain as much as he was.

"Bullshit. Don't lie to me," his sea blues saw passed my façade.

I frowned. "It sucks, hurts to breathe a bit, but I'm too worried about everyone else to care," I let slip. I saw him shift his weight as he gave me a pained look. "We should sit down," I pointed to the chairs against the wall. He sat next to me, staring intently at my face like he was looking answers to something. I looked down at my hand. "Did Emerson tell you what happened?" I asked. Flynn saw me in the ER as he was leaving, but wasn't able to talk to me. I saw Grant pull him aside.

He nodded, his expression hardening. "Walsh is really pissing me off," he growled, but when his eyes met mine again, he couldn't stay angry. "He told me about you, too. You should have just said something."

"And ruin my cool 'Eagle Scout' look? No way," I choked on a laugh. "Besides, you're one to talk, tough guy. I practically had to wrestle you to get you to get checked out."

"I'm sorry," he looked away, looking guilty.

I leaned against his good shoulder. "Now what?" I asked.

"Wanna get a drink?" he suggested.

"Brilliant," I nodded.

Naomi and Grant met us down at Shipwreck Sally's. It took us a while to get there since we were pretty banged up, so it gave them both time to finished up the work they had to do before they could come. We sat around a booth in the corner, staring down at our drinks. I kept thinking about Kate.

"I still can't believe that asshole arrested Kate. What is he thinking?" I tilted my beer, letting it swing back and forth in my hand as it rolled around the table.

"He's just lucky I wasn't there. I would've knocked him out cold," Flynn balled his fists on either side of his beer.

Before I could tell him that he was too injured to have gotten a clean shot, Naomi said, "And gotten yourself arrested, too." She had a water, the sweat beads rolling off of it as it sat untouched.

"Worth it," he huffed, crossing his arms and throwing himself back into the bench next to me.

Grant let out a scoff. "He'll get what's coming to him, trust me." I hadn't seen him that angry before. It was kind of a relief to know he had more too him than the nice guy he portrayed.

"I understand that you're all pissed off. I'm frustrated, too, but we need a plan," Naomi said, leaning forward with her hands around her glass.

I frowned. "Naomi, give us a minute," I pleaded. "I'm still trying to process what the hell even happened. I mean, seriously, how is a man like _Walsh_ even allowed to carry a gun?" I hissed.

Grant shrugged hopelessly. "I don't know, Tanner."

"It does seem like he's either corrupt or just incompetent," she started, but Flynn's laugh kept her from finishing.

"I'm going with both," he grumbled.

"One thing's clear," Grant said. "Walsh is sticking to this 'Kate is the killer' narrative, _hard_. It's possible he actually believes it… but it seems more likely that someone's pulling his strings."

"The Sterlings," Flynn glared down at his bottle.

"…That would be my guess…," Grant agreed. It was quiet again for a long moment. We were all stuck in our own thoughts. Finally, I took a long drink of the beer I'd been struggling to touch. "I mean, obviously I'll take on Kate's defense, pro bono," Grant stated.

"Thanks, Emerson," I smiled, feeling a bit better now that I had alcohol in my mouth and the painkillers seemed to have kicked in.

He shrugged. "It's the _least_ I can do. We can beat Walsh in court, then-," he started.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there," Naomi put her hand up. "I wouldn't count on beating him without a _lot_ more convincing evidence. People in this town trust him. _We_ know it's undeserved, but a jury might not."

"So then, we find Tanner's killer, Kate's kidnapper. Walsh can't pin this on her if we find whoever's really responsible," I figured was the only solution.

She nodded. "I think it's our best chance of getting her off. Maybe our only chance."

"That all sounds good, Silverhawk, but what's your plan?" Flynn asked, a bit annoyed. "'Cause from where I'm sitting, it looks like we've got zero leads."

She thought for a second then sat up straight, leaning in closer to us. "Maybe we could start at the Sterling's annual Fourth of July gala?" she suggested. "It's the biggest social even of the summer. The whole town will be there, probably a few drinks in. Maybe we'll turn something up," she looked hopeful.

"Wait, wait," I put my hand up in confusion. "They're seriously still doing that? They didn't cancel it after what happened to their son?"

She let out a disgusted sigh. "I don't think a nuclear war could keep the Sterlings from maintaining their 'most beloved traditions'," she mocked.

"That bunch really knows how to put family first," Flynn sneered.

Grant looked down at his hands sadly. "Tanner loved the gala. I think… this might be their way of saying goodbye."

"Regardless of their motives," Naomi said, "Walsh has me on detail for the party. It's a long shot, but maybe we'll overhear something that gives us a lead."

I smirked, liking this plan. "Open bars do tend to get people talking."

"You know what they say about loose lips," the corners of Grant's mouth twitched in amusement.

Naomi chuckled. "They sink Walsh's ship?"

"We'd sure as hell better hope so," Flynn added, finally taking a drink.

Soon after, we all split up to go home and rest. I still hadn't slept and was feeling like I'd been hit by a bus… for multiple reasons. I crashed as soon as I got to my room, but my dreams weren't pleasant. Kate's tear-streaked face flashed in my mind every time my thoughts finally wandered.

I didn't wake up until late the next morning, but I woke up feeling strong and determined. Nothing could stop me from finding something at the gala to help Kate. _Nothing._

I finished my breakfast and was about to head back upstairs to get changed when Ms. Harlenay's eyes caught my attention. She stared pointedly at me.

"Ms. Harlenay?" I asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You alright?"

She smiled suddenly. "I'm fine, thank you dear. Just wondering if you had any plans today," she leaned on her hands behind the desk.

"Well," I started, "I was planning on going to the Fou-"

"The Fourth of July gala! I knew it! Such a spectacular event," she beamed. "The food, the drinks, the fireworks… it's like nothing you've ever seen!" she was so excited.

"I mean, I've seen fireworks before," I shrugged, not entirely looking forward to that part of the evening. Fireworks sounded like gun shots, and growing up in a rough part of town didn't let me appreciate them as much as I wanted to. New York City wasn't much better, but as an adult I didn't have as much interest in seeing them. I was too busy chasing leads or scrambling for due dates.

She gasped. "Not like these, you haven't! Tanner puts the show together himself, and he-," she paused. "Oh, dear. I suppose that will have to change this year, won't it?" she looked sad.

I frowned with her. "Yeah, honestly, I feel like this event might be a bit of a downer."

"Maybe," she said, lightening up a bit. "Though the Sterlings have spent generations learning to hide their feelings, inside I'm sure they're mourning their son. But they'd never show anything but a joyous face to the world."

I shook my head. "That's creepy."

She nodded. "I've always thought so, too. Celebrating at a time like this… it feels wrong. _Especially_ with poor Kate in jail."

"You don't think she did it, do you?" I asked, wondering where she stood on the matter.

"Are you insulting my intelligence?" she snapped. "Kate wouldn't hurt a fly!" her expression softened. "No, really. I once saw her spend an hour trying to safely shoo a fly out of her bakery."

I laughed. "That's Katie for you. I just wanted to make sure you were on Team Kate."

"Of course I am, dear. Anyone who isn't is a damned fool, if you ask me," she huffed, flipping her highlighted curls over her shoulder. She took a step back and looked me over, raising an eyebrow. "Since you _are_ planning on attending the gala," she began to ask, "I was wondering…"

"What am I going to wear?" I chuckled.

She grinned widely. "Oh, you hadn't decided?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, don't you worry. I have just the thing!" she disappeared to her office for a minute.

"You just keep clothes back there?" I asked.

She came back and placed an outfit over the counter. "Something like that," she giggled.

I looked at her skeptically. "These don't belong to your ex-boyfriend who was an avid partygoer, do they?" She shook her head, but didn't give me any extra clues either. I slid them off the counter, still watching her suspiciously as I walked around the corner to the restroom. I was actually surprised that they fit. Quite well, in fact. It was a bit scary. I came back around the corner, holding my old clothes on my arm. "How do I look?" I did a quick turn on my heel, showing off the nice white button up, tight blue blazer, and red slacks.

"It's like it was made for you, dear. You look absolutely radiant," he clapped excitedly.

I blushed a bit and rubbed the back of my neck. "I mean… not to brag, but I really do," I laughed, feeling pretty good about myself.

"I'm sure you're going to the gala to snoop around for leads… but looking _that_ good, I think you should make some fireworks of your own, if you know what I mean," she winked, making me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I chuckled. "It's sex, by the way," she said bluntly. "I mean have some sex."

"I'm gonna leave now," I spun on my heel and walked upstairs as fast as I could, blushing awkwardly. When I got my clothes put away and my hair fixed up, I called a cab and headed to the gala to meet up with the gang.

The gala was already in full swing when I got there, which I figured since I'd woken up so late. Guests were milling around, sipping drinks, and chatting. Servers scurried by with trays of delicious looking food.

"The Sterlings sure know how to throw a party," I said to myself.

"Party? Looks like a bunch of stuffed shirts and tipped-up noses to me," a disgruntled voice behind me made me smile.

I turned around. "Hi, Flynn," I said way too happily, sounding like a school girl.

"Damn, Tanner," he looked me up and down, his eyes lingering for a bit on my legs. "I wasn't expecting to enjoy any part of this charade, but looking at you was _definitely_ worth showing up for," he smirked charmingly.

"Glad to help," I grinned flirtatiously. "You can look again if you get bored later." He looked away, blushing a bit, but still smiling. I looked around a bit and spotted Naomi off to the side, scanning the crowd. "I'm going to check in with Naomi to see if she's heard anything yet," I said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll head to the bar. There's bound to be more gossip the closer you get to the drinks," he said before smirking again. "Also, there's drinks."

I laughed. "Excellent strategy," I joked. "See you in a bit?" I asked, wanting to spend more time with him.

"Definitely," he grinned. "There's no way this party won't bore me," he checked me out one more time before starting towards the bar.

I rolled my eyes and headed over to Naomi. She nodded curtly when she noticed me, keeping her eye on the crowd. She looked very professional.

"Hey, have you heard anything yet?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not really… unless 'who's carrying the _best_ designer handbag' interests you, that is."

I snickered. "What's your verdict on this _deeply_ pressing issue?"

"Gimme a good leather holster any day," she grinned, finally looking at me.

"How do the Sterlings seem?" I got serious again.

She sighed. "Honestly, I can't get a read on them. They're so… plastic," she began. "Margret's got a smile plastered on, and Pierce is following the same script with every single guest," she explained.

"It must be hard for them. They've lost a son, after all," I felt bad for them. They may have acted terribly towards people, but they were still human, and they still felt loss.

She frowned. "True. I can't imagine how hard that must be," her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "But that doesn't give them the right to take Flynn's sister away. If they're insisting Walsh pins this on Kate, that's as far as my sympathy goes."

"What about Scarlett? Have you seen her?" I asked, looking around a bit.

"Uh," she started, fidgeting a bit. "She's here…ish… but that gets less true every time she goes back to the bar…"

I followed her gaze to a wobbling Scarlett yelling at the bartender, quite loudly, that her drink tasted like 'assbut'. "Yikes," I said. "I'm guessing she's not gonna be much help today."

"The way things are going, she's going to _need_ help today," she grimaced when Scarlett fell off her stool. She looked the crowd again back at me. "You look good, by the way."

I smiled. "Thanks. It's a Ms. Harlenay special."

"I've heard some weird stuff about her… _leisure_ activities… but I've got to say, she's got excellent taste," she said before checking her watch. She sighed. "Time for me to do my rounds. I'll catch up with you later?" I nodded, and she headed off towards the stage.

I turned around to find Grant right next to me. "Oh, Jesus," I put a hand to my chest, taking a deep breath.

"Finally," he grinned, "someone I _want_ to talk to."

"Hi, Emerson," I smiled when I caught my breath. "You mean to tell me this isn't your scene?" I teased.

"It's not that," he looked around. "The mood here is just very…," he trailed off.

"Have you been here long?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Long enough for a glass of wine and a little conversation. I might have been able to enjoy them if I weren't half-suspicious of everyone around me," he frowned.

"You're not enjoying the chance to play detective?" I joked.

He shook his had avidly. "Far from it. Leave the snooping to the investigators. I'd rather come in after all the facts are on the table," he said. "But I guess you're different."

"I am. How can you resist a good mystery?" As a reporter, it was kind of my job and I really enjoyed solving the puzzle from day one, not just when all the pieces came across my desk in a box with numbers on the back of them.

"Mysteries are fine, but I prefer solutions," he said. "Taking the pieces and putting them together, looking at all the information and reading the story it tells, and then making sure _my_ version of that story is so compelling everyone _has_ to believe it," he explained.

I chuckled. "I'm glad Kate has you on her side."

He smiled, but stiffened abruptly, looking over my shoulder. I turned to see Margret and Pierce walking over to us. _This isn't going to be pleasant_. Their smiles were bright and fixed, but they had dark circles under their eyes and a strain at the corner of their mouths. I felt bad for them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sterling," I addressed them as they passed us. "I'm so sorry for your loss…"

Margret held her nose high. "Thank you for the sentiment, but let's not dwell on that now. This is a _party_ , not a funeral."

"Mr. Murphy," Pierce looked a bit off-put. "I'm surprised to see you here, given the… circumstances." _You and me both, pal._

"'Surprised' isn't the word I'd use," Margret huffed, glaring up her nose at me.

Grant put his hand out in front of me. "Tanner's my plus-one, Margret," he said, standing tall to their harsh tones.

"I see. I always thought you had more taste, Grant," she turned her head and grabbed her husband's arm.

Pierce looked just as upset. "I won't turn you away, Mr. Murphy. I've always believed in keeping my friends close, but my _enemies_ closer."

"Excuse me?" I asked, feeling like I'd missed something since the last time we'd talked. Sure, we didn't get along, but we were civil with each other…

"Don't play dumb," Margret hissed in a posh way. "You're… _her_ friend. The jumped-up hussy who took our beautiful boy away from us!" she looked like she might cry. I knew they had feeling, but this was ridiculous.

"Ma'am, I understand how hard this must be for you, but I honestly believe Kate is inn-," I started, trying to be polite.

"We don't care what you believe," Pierce snapped.

Margret's grip on her husband's arm only got tighter. "Think what you like. I _know_ what she did, and if I have anything to say about it, that filthy, murdering whore will die behind bars."

That was too far. I took a step forward, about to say something, but Grant put his arm up again. "Margret, please!" he looked down at her, shocked to hear the words leave her lips.

She narrowed her eyes at us, breathing heavily like she was collecting herself. " _Do_ enjoy our hospitality," she spat her words like venom as they turned and walked away.

I took a step back, shaking my head in disbelief with a scoff. "Wow, that was rough."

"Everyone processes grief differently, I guess," Grant said, looking off into the flock of people. "I don't know about you, but I could use a moment away from the crowd," he said suggested.

I nodded. "Yes. Immediately," I agreed.

We worked our way out of the crowd to the edge of the party. Grant stopped to look over the cliff into the sea below. "Have you seen the view from the cliffside?" he asked over his shoulder.

"I didn't even know that was an option," I walked over to him.

He smiled. "I'll show you," he said, pointing up the hill a bit. "The best part is the other bar over there. I think after that we _both_ deserve a drink."

I let a low chuckle escape. "Ha, you're telling me."

We walked up the hill towards the beach as the sun began to set behind us. _It's this late already?_ I looked out over the edge as we walked up, the sherbet colors painted in the sky and reflected on the water. We headed over to the bar, surrounded by tables draped in red, white, and blue.

"The signature cocktail is the mint julep, but it's a full bar," Grant found us two seats and ordered one for himself.

I automatically asked for a Rose. "Maybe I'm getting homesick. It's what I always order during social gatherings back in New York."

"I'm sure you miss it, but I, for one, am glad you stayed," he gave me a warm smile. "I don't think we'd have made it this far without you."

I smiled back weakly. "Thanks, Grant. There's no way I'm leaving until Kate is free and back home safe and sound," I said adamantly. I smirked a little bit. "Luckily, my editor agreed this case would make a _great_ story. I convinced him I couldn't leave until it was solved."

"Smart thinking," he laughed in agreement.

" _There_ you are, Grant," Scarlett slurred as she stumbled over to us. "Still wasting your time on, Tanner? How predictable," she glared down at me.

I stared right back up at her, worried about her wellbeing. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, a bit offended by her tone.

"I heard about your little Olde Towne date. Kate was still half-dead in the hospital, no less. _Very_ classy," she hissed.

"I wasn't a date, and we visited her not even an hour later. She was sleeping, anyway," I got defensive. "You didn't even show up," I jabbed, regretting it as I said it. She didn't need me guilt-tripping her right now.

She looked take aback for a second then scowled again. "Whatever. I suppose I shouldn't care, after what she did."

"For Christ's sake, Scarlett, you were her maid of honor," Grant snapped at his sister. "You of all people know she's not capable of _murder_."

She let out a weary sigh. "I'd like to believe that, obviously," she frowned, "but if I were in her place… if someone stole Tanner from me… Well, you know what they say about a woman scorned." She turned towards the bar. "Bartender! Where's my martini?" The man behind the bar hurried into action, having her drink to her in less than two minutes. She took a huge gulp, finishing half of it in one go. "Anyway, I'm over it. No time to dwell on the past," she pretended she was fine. "I've got my future to think about."

"What are you talking about?" Grant asked.

She downed the last of her drink and slammed the glass down on the bar. "With tanner gone, that drunk sack of ham is the only remaining Sterling heir. It's only a matter of time before he runs their business into the ground," she explained.

"And?" Grant asked, still not getting it.

"Don't you ever get tired of being the second richest family in town, Grant?" she grinned devilishly. "Aren't you looking forward to being the first?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and walked off.

"Wow," my jaw dropped.

"I guess I'm glad she's feeling better?" he asked more than stated.

I gave him a worried look. "We… should probably keep an eye on her," I said.

He nodded. "Agreed."

While Grant and I were talking, Bryce caught my eye from over his shoulder. His brows furrowed in anger when he noticed me, and he launched out of his seat toward us. "You! What the hell are _you_ doing here?" he shouted.

I couldn't believe him. Well, I could, but it was ridiculous. "Hi, Bryce. It's nice to see you, too," I smiled sarcastically up at him. "Long time, right?"

"Wha-what the hell?" he fumbled, no longer having the momentum to hit me. "Do you think you're funny? I'll wipe that smile right off your-," he began, but Grant stood between us.

"Easy, Bryce," he warned him.

"Outta my way! He's not welcome here!" he shouted, shoving Grant aside and getting up in my face. I sat calmly, crossing my legs. "Admit it! Admit it! You were in on it!" he accused, causing the crowd to go silent and stare at me. Grant dusted himself off and signaled the wait staff, who surrounded Bryce quickly and pulled him back. "Hey, get off me!" he screamed, shoving them away. "You work for _me_ , dammit!" he straightened his jacked and smoothed down his collar. "If you intend to _keep_ your pathetic jobs, you should try to remember that," he huffed, stalking off to his parents near the stage. They'd been watching the scene from the other side of the party, concerned looks on their faces.

I turned to Grant. "Well, this is going _great_ so far."

"He's had too much… and the fireworks show is any minute now…," Grant looked over his shoulder, fretting.

"Don't tell me…," I trailed off, remembering what Ms. Harlenay had said about Tanner usually leading the fireworks show.

"The fireworks were always Tanner's big thing. Now that he's gone, the metaphorical torch passes to Bryce," he said.

I put my hand to my face with a sigh of exhaustion. "We're all going to die, aren't we?" I took a long sip of my Rose. Grant chuckled, laughing at my pain. "I thought we'd find some leads here, but the only big discovery of the night is that everyone else is barely holding it together. Everything that happened with the wedding, Tanner, Kate… it's just broken the whole town."

"Or maybe just exposed the rot that was always just below the surface," he frowned, staring down at his drink.

I sighed and turned in my chair to watch the crowd, glad their eyes weren't on me anymore. A young man in a waiter's apron weaved quickly though the people. "Tony?" I sat up. "What's he doing here?"

"Who now?" Grant asked.

I stood up, setting my drink back on the counter. He was moving way too fast for me to catch him if I didn't go now. "Wait here, Emerson. I'll be right back," I started down the hill, pushing through socialites.

"Tanner! Where are you going?" Grant's voice called over the many heads.

"I'll explain later!" I called back, dodging my way around people, not taking my eye off of Rez.

There was an entertainer juggling sparklers drawing a thicker crowd. Tony weaved though the crowd swiftly. I was starting to lose him. I finally found a break in the crowd and decided to go for it. I spotted him at the edge of the group.

"Tony Rez, what are you doing?" I said when I caught up to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Who wants to-," his eyes went wide when he saw me. He bolted instantly, but I'd already run too much for my lungs to handle. I reached out as he ran, grabbing one of his apron strings. He stopped for a second, but only a second, before pulling away, ripping the apron. I looked up, but he'd disappeared again. All I had was a scrap of fabric dangling uselessly in my hand. I set it on a table and leaned against a tall chair, clutching my chest inside my blazer. _Dammit._

When I tried to look for him again, the floodlights in the stands near the stage came on, blinding me. I put a hand up to my face to block it. _Jesus, what the-_

The group of people behind me surged towards the stands. I gave up. No way was I going to find him in this group. I let the crowd lead me to the stage. The mounted speakers around the gala crackled to life, blasting Bryce's voice…

"Alright, folks. Grab your nuts and plant your butts. It's time for the fireworks show!" he barked. _I'll never get that image out of my head._ I squinted through the lights and into the stands until my eyes found my friends. They were all scattered. I saw Flynn looking around, looking a bit antsy. I made my way through the crowd until I was next to his stand then climbed up next to him.

"Hey, stranger," I smirked.

"Hey yourself," he grinned.

"How's your night going?" I asked, taking my seat next to him.

His eyes widened sarcastically. "Well, I made it though a whole conversation with a bunch of Sterling cousins, and didn't punch anyone, so that's a win," he didn't look like he was joking. "What about you? Any leads?"

I shook my head. "Not a damn thing. All I learned is that Scarlett's a mess, Bryce is a drunk, and the Sterlings seem to genuinely believe Kate did it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Of course they do. Didn't you hear? Kate doesn't come from money."

"What about you? Anything useful?" I asked.

"I tried talking to some of the catering staff, seeing if they'd heard anything," he started, "but all I learned is that Bryce is a handsy creep with all the girls. Oh, and that Margret is as pleasant an employer as you'd expect her to be," he ranted. "As far as actual usefulness, total strike out."

"Oh, that reminds me," I turned to him. "I saw Tony Rez working as a waiter."

He looked shocked. "Tony? What's he doing here?"

I shrugged. "He booked it as soon as he saw me."

"What the hell is that about? I mean, I know the guy took odd jobs every once in a while, but this doesn't feel right," Flynn furrowed his brows in thought.

"He might be more involved than we thought," I suggested. "I know he seems harmless, but maybe we were wrong."

He squinted, deeper in thought. "Okay, but even if he was involved somehow, why come here? And why would he kidnap Kate?"

I sighed. "I don't know. It's like we have all these puzzle pieces and none of them fit together."

The first firework went off, distracting us from the task at hand. I jumped, grabbing Flynn's hand on accident, but leaving it there when I noticed.

"Jumpy much?" he asked with a slight laugh.

"I… uh… just don't really like fireworks," I said honestly, readjusting myself in my seat.

"Really? I always liked the Fourth. An entire holiday devoted to blowing stuff up? Count me in," he grinned devilishly.

I laughed. "Of course you'd say that." He squeezed my hand and my anxiety drifted away. The second one popped and exploded into a frenzy of blue stars. "They are kind of pretty, I guess."

"What about you? Lemme guess, the typical American childhood. Mom and Dad and little Tanner sprawled out on a blanket on the Fourth…," he teased.

I shook my head. "No, actually," I watched the next one fly off. "My parents are both academics. They care more about the meaning behind the holiday than the holiday itself," I said, pausing for a moment. "The neighborhood I grew up in was a bit rough and we had a few shootings. Since then, the sound of fireworks always scared me a bit," I explained. "But this… this is nice," I looked back at him and smiled, watching the lights dance in his eyes. His fingers interlaced mine on the cool metal bench of the stand. "Did you come to this as a kid?" I asked.

"I was more of a 'setting off illegal fireworks by the docks' sort of kid," he smiled.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I laughed.

He beamed. "One year, though, Mom somehow wrangled an invite for us. I was so pissed that I had to wear a church suit."

"A rebel even then, huh?" I teased.

"Apparently," he chuckled. "But Kate _loved_ it. She got to wear her favorite frilly dress, 'like a real princess'. I can still picture her waving her sparkler around like a magic wand," he looked so happy.

I smiled warmly. "Sounds like a nice memory."

Another firework shot up, leaving green and yellow lights trickling down the sky. Flynn slid his arm around my shoulder while I looked up. I leaned my head on his shoulder. He was so warm. I closed my eyes for a minute, breathing in his smell mixed with the salty air.

"All fireworks are good, but this is definitely the best way to watch them," he said just above a whisper.

"At a huge mansion with a bunch of free cocktails?" I joked.

"Actually, I was going to say 'with you'…," I felt his cheek rest against the side of my head.

I looked up at him, my nose wrinkled. "Flynn O'Malley, that is way too cheesy," I said before noticing how close our faces were. I could feel his breath. A shower of red and gold lit up his face. I leaned into him, pressing my lips to his. They were soft and warm and gentle… His arm tightened around me, and I held his face in my hand. The kiss grew more urgent as his tongue pushed through my lips. His other hand moved to my thigh, sending a rush of electricity through my body. I pushed into him, forgetting where we were for a moment. Finally, we broke apart, reluctantly pulling away. My eyes darted to the people behind and in front of us. "People are starting to stare," I whispered, sliding my fingers down his cheek with a smile.

"Let 'm stare," he said huskily before kissing me again, pushing me back this time. I held onto the back of his neck, trying to keep my balance as he leaned me back. Eventually, we were at an angle that started to hurt. I moaned into him and tapped his shoulder. He pulled me back up. "Sorry," he tried to apologize, but his smile was too wide for sincerity. A silver pop fizzled across his face. He pulled me close to him and whispered, "I want you more than you can possibly imagine," causing my hair to stand on end.

I sucked in a breath, loving the sound of his voice and feeling of his hands on my shoulder and thigh. "You _may_ have to hold that thought," I whispered back.

"Gladly," he pressed his forehead to mine. I bit my lip, wanting desperately to kiss him again, but the lack of fireworks had grabbed my attention. Audience members had began shifting in their seats to stare up at the stage.

"Must be the big finale," I said. We watched as Bryce stumbled onto the stage, drunker than he was before. Margret tugged at his coat, her face sharp with anger. He shoved her away and lumbered to the mic at the podium, yanking it out of its stand with an evil squeak from feedback. Flynn and I sat up, but his arm remained on my shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah… I know what you're all thinking. 'Where's Tanner?'" he mocked. "'We love his fireworks soooo much.'" He could barely keep himself standing. He leaned against the podium but his hand missed and he fumbled to catch himself. "Well, guess what? Tanner's not coming back! So, you're stuck with me, the black sheep," he shouted. "The family loser," though what he actually said didn't sound like 'loser', but more like a slurring of sounds he'd randomly found and compiled.

"Bryce, for god's sake!" Pierce's voice came through the microphone as he tried to get his bumbling son off stage.

"Sit down!" Margret hissed at him.

"No. NO! I'm the finale host… which means _I_ get to finish the show the way _I_ want to!" he sounded like a rebelling teenager… or a pouting 4-year-old throwing a fit. "And just you people watch! This is going to blow Tanner's stupid shows out of the water!" he smiled, I think.

"Flynn," I whispered, tapping him on the chest. "This doesn't look good. I think we should-"

He leaned over to light the fuse, stumbling a bit as he bend over.

"Flynn," I said more urgently. He nodded, and we started to shuffle off the side of the stand.

"This year… it's Bryce's turn!" Bryce blubbered then dropped the mic. I looked over my shoulder after hopping down onto the grass. Fireworks started going off behind him all at once, way too close to the ground. Flynn hopped down beside me and I pushed him up the hill. "Oh, shi-," was the last thing we heard before the stage exploded.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I was on a grassy patch on the outskirts of the Sterling's property. Everything around me was scorched or still on fire. The people that could walk were staggering around in confusion. I held a hand to my head. _I wish this would stop happening_. The air was thick with ash, making my eyes burn. I looked around… trying to find… _anyone_. I saw Scarlett a few yards away from me with a rag held to her head. Pierce was far off to the side of the chaos barking into his cellphone. Margret was next to him, her eyes pinned on the wreckage, a hand pressed to her mouth. _What even happened?_ My eyes found the podium where Bryce had been standing… it was practically a pile of ash. The ground was black. _There's no way he survived that_.

"Flynn," I mumbled. "Flynn?" I tried to stand up. I had to look for him. He was with me not even seconds before the explosion. _Where is he?_

"Tanner!" I heard a voice call. Still holding my head, I turned, feeling a bit disappointed when Grant rushed over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked, checking me over for any injuries.

I nodded. "I think so, but-"

"Are you _really_ okay? You're not lying this time, are you?" his worried expression made me frown.

"Really, I'm fine. But where… where's Flynn… and Naomi?" I looked around.

The squawk of a radio caught my attention. Naomi was walking towards us over the rubble.

Grant looked up at where the stage was. "The fireworks all went off at once. I don't think Bryce… I mean…," he stuttered.

"The blast must have sent him over the cliff," Naomi said. "We'll search the beach for his body as soon as we can, but," she looked at the stage, "I don't think anyone could have survived that."

"Karma's a bitch, huh?" I spun around to find Flynn behind me, limping worse than he was before the explosion.

"Oh my god," I threw my arms around his neck, thankful that he was okay. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close for a second before pulling away with a weary smile.

"Wow, Flynn," Grant snapped. "Even for you that's incredibly callous."

Letting him use me as a crutch, I helped Flynn take a few steps forward. "The guy was a vicious, self-centered drunk. I'm not shedding any tears for him," he said harshly.

Grant frowned. "I know you and Bryce had your issues, but he… he had a lot of personal struggles."

"Flynn's right. Good riddance," I said with a bit of a scowl. "I'm not saying _this_ was how he deserved to die, but…," I thought about it. "No, I guess that is what I'm saying. Bryce was a vindictive asshole. No amount of personal baggage gives you a pass on that. We all have our issues."

"I guess he _was_ pretty awful," Grant hung his head, "but we've had enough death around here."

I gave him a mournful look. "I'm sorry, Grant. I know this is hard for you."

"It just feels like the entire town is falling apart at the seams," he looked around at the chaos.

"At least there don't appear to be any other casualties," Naomi spoke up. "Some injuries from the debris, obviously, and Lester Bovko had a heart attack," she went on, "but there was a cardiologist in the crowd. She told me he's going to be alright."

Flynn let out a quick breath. "That's good to hear."

"I'm glad you guys are all safe, but now I need to help the injured," she said. We all nodded in understanding before she ran back into the haze.

We stood in silence for a minute, looking around at the devastation. "Do either of you have any idea what the hell just happened?" Grant asked, still lost for answers. "That couldn't have been an accident, could it?"

"I highly doubt it," I said. "I think it was sabotage. First Tanner, now Bryce? That's no coincidence. Whoever's behind this has a vendetta against the Sterlings."

"That would explain why they kidnapped Kate," Flynn added. "She was about to become a Sterling, after all."

"And that cabin was covered in stalker photos of them," I bounced back at him.

He nodded. "Okay, I'm with you, but what does it all mean? Why would someone want to take the Sterlings out?" he asked the real question.

"I don't know, but," Grant tried to answer, "it might mean that Margret and Pierce are next." Silence filled the space again. "So… it looks like we have no idea what happened."

"Not yet," I said, "but there's a lot of debris near the podium. If this was deliberate, there might be proof."

Sirens blared from the distance, drowning out my thoughts, and the blue and red lights lit up the smoky fog. "That must be Walsh and company," I pursed my lips.

"Think you can handle it?" Grant asked, looking over at Scarlett. "I need to check on my sister." I nodded, and he hurried away to her side.

Naomi strode up to us, glaring at the squad cars. "Looks like the dream team is finally here," she looked agitated.

"To make a mess of things, no doubt," I shared her sentiment.

"Not if I can help it," she looked determined.

A slamming door caught our attention. Walsh climbed out of the car with a bullhorn as Pierce ran to him. They whispered back and forth, Walsh nodding.

"Well, that's not suspicious at all," I glared through the smoke at them.

When Pierce finished, Walsh raised the bullhorn to his mouth. "Attention, everyone," he announced. "If you're awaiting medical care, please remain calm. Paramedics are on their way." His voice cracked through the speaker, sounding more obnoxious than his usual voice. "If you're not injured, please clear the scene. The cleanup crew will be here shortly."

Naomi took a few steps towards him. "Sir, did you say 'cleanup crew'?"

"Yup! That's what he said!" Duffy beamed excitedly.

Walsh let out a sigh. "Duffy, did I tell you to speak?"

"No, sir," he frowned.

The chief held the bullhorn up to his mouth again, this time aiming it directly at Duffy's ear. "Then DON'T!" he shouted. Duffy shook, holding his hands over his ears. I flinched, knowing how bad that must have hurt. Flynn's eye twitched, feeling the same way.

"With all due respect, why are you bringing in a cleanup crew at this point?" Naomi asked urgently. "We need to collect the evidence first!"

He groaned. "Look, Deputy, this is private property. It belongs to the Sterlings, and they want to keep the grounds clean," he pulled some bullshit out of his ass.

"Are you _serious_?" Naomi looked like she was about to pop. "This is a _crime scene_."

Walsh looked a bit off guard. "They feel a deep responsibility to… uh… help protect the environment, which I, for one, applaud," he shuffled uncomfortably.

"Walsh, you just made that up," I accused, completely done with this guy.

He shifted again, adjusting his belt. "Excuse me? I'll have you know the Sterlings are very committed to… Bridgeport's precious coastline!" he fumbled for the words.

I scoffed. "Yeah, for the _view_."

"It is a pretty view," Duffy smiled, getting his ears back under control.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to you badmouth our town's leading family," he blubbered angrily.

"They're certainly leading the getting-murdered rate…," Flynn mumbled.

"Flynn!" Naomi and I gasped at the same time.

Behind Walsh, a disaster cleanup van rolled to a stop. Several people in jumpsuits hopped out, carrying their equipment.

"Chief, please! We have to investigate!" Naomi pleaded.

He crossed his arms. "Investigate what? This was a tragic accident. Nothing else," he had some serious issues if he thought that no-one would notice how hard he was trying to cover this up.

"You can't know that without investigating!" Naomi argued, much more irritated now.

Walsh rolled his eyes. "Please. It happens all the time. Three thousand Americans die in fireworks-related accidents every month!" he made up.

"Really?" Duffy asked with a frown. "That doesn't seem true," he confirmed my suspicions, not that he needed to.

"This case is cut and dried. I see no need to interfere with the bereaved family's wishes," Walsh tried to shoo Naomi off.

"Are you out of your mind?" she snapped. "Bryce's brother was just murdered, his sister-in-law was kidnapped-," she tried to say, but he cut her off.

"There is _nothing_ here that suggests foul play," he barked. She shook with rage.

"Not if the Sterlings want to keep it hush hush, there's not," Flynn growled.

Walsh glared at Flynn, bringing the bullhorn to his mouth once more. He took a deep breath before shouting, "For the last time, CLEAR THE GODDAMN SCENE! That's an _order_!"

Naomi stormed back over to us, motioning for us to leave reluctantly.

"That asshole's crossed the line from stooge to full-on henchman," Flynn spat.

"I think he may have crossed it a long time ago," Naomi shook her head, "but I still can't understand… why wouldn't the Sterlings want this investigated?"

I shrugged sarcastically. "I don't know, maybe 'cause they had something to do with it."

"You think they killed their own sons?" Flynn looked shocked at my suggestion.

"What? God, no, but I _do_ think they know much more than they're letting on," I explained. "And a _real_ investigation would reveal all the skeletons in their closet."

"You might be right," Naomi agreed.

Flynn shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't give a rat's ass about their motives. If Bryce was murdered, it'll show Kate's innocent. Finding proof of that in the wreckage could be our _last_ chance to clear my sister's name," he looked at Naomi with a stern stare, asking her to help us or get out of the way.

I looked around. Grant was helping people into the ambulances as they arrived. Walsh and Duffy were picking up firework scraps from the wreckage.

Naomi clenched her fists and all of her pent-up rage came to the forefront. "Flynn's right. We need to get that evidence," she said.

"But how?" I asked. With Walsh already picking things up, how were we going to get passed him to get to them first?

"We steal it," she said coolly, causing Flynn and I to stare up at her in surprise.

He smiled. "Alright, now you're speaking my language."

"But… that's breaking the law. You could lose your job," I wanted to make sure she was up for it. The consequences could be devastating.

She tapped the badge on her shirt with two fingers. "My _job_ is to protect the public, to serve justice. I fell in line with Walsh because I thought I had to, but enough is enough," she looked pissed, as well she should be. "I _won't_ let him destroy evidence. I _can't_."

I nodded. "Fine, but let _me_ steal it," I said, wanting to keep both of them from getting into more trouble.

"Um, hello? Ex-con bad boy here?" Flynn waved his hand with a big smile. "Doing illegal crap is kinda my whole thing."

I glared over at him. "Which is _exactly_ why you shouldn't be anywhere near that scene," I hissed, and his smile disappeared. "The last thing you need is to get into more trouble. I'm a goody two-shoes with a clean record," I said logically. "If I get caught, I'll get off the easiest. Besides," I stared sternly at him, "with your leg how it is, you can't move around fast enough if you get caught." He looked away for a second, not arguing, but not wanting to accept it either.

"Tanner's right," Naomi agreed. "You shouldn't be the one to go up there, Flynn, but I don't think you should either, Tanner."

"Naomi," I looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm doing this for Kate." She furrowed her brows, understanding. "I couldn't keep Walsh from arresting her, but I'll be damned if he's going to convict her of murder," I had to hold in my rage. My blood was starting to pound in my ears.

Flynn grabbed my hand. "That's my boy," he grinned proudly.

Naomi stared at me with a worried expression for a minute, then nodded. "Alright, let's do this. Flynn, help me distract Walsh and Duffy. While they're focused on us, Tanner can find the remains of whatever blew Bryce off the cliff," she strategized.

"Distract how?" Flynn asked.

"I saw a cache of firecrackers in a corner," she started, and Flynn's face lit up.

"I love this plan already," he beamed, feeling better. _Note to self: if Flynn ever feels down, just let him set something on fire._

Naomi snagged the firecrackers she said she'd seen and tossed a handful to Flynn. They walked off towards Walsh, and I crouched behind an overturned table, staying out of his line of sight. Duffy was sneaking desserts from a serving tray that had been left near the edge of the party when shit hit the fan. _That's an easy distraction_. Walsh gazed out over the wreckage, shaking his head. They were both too close for me to sneak over there without a successful distraction. Flynn winked at me briefly before whistling and casually slinging the firecrackers under the table next to Walsh. I flinched when the machine-gun like sound blasted through the air, making everyone around jump.

"Holy hell!" Walsh did a full 180-degree twist.

"We're under attack! It's just like _Red Down_!" Duffy screamed, ducking under the disheveled buffet table.

"For god's sake, Duffy, find those maniacs!" Walsh barked.

"I think I saw someone under the risers!" Naomi pointed towards the edge of the stands.

The three of them sprinted away, giving me the perfect opportunity to get in and out quickly. The front edge of the stage was still intact. I vaulted over it and ducked behind it, looking around for what had caused the destruction at ground zero. A huge pile of debris cluttered the area. I peeked over the edge to make sure I was clear. Flynn flashed a grin at me and Naomi gave me a quick thumbs up. I dug through the burnt-out fireworks and wood chips. Soon, I found a scorched label that looked familiar. It was the firework that Bryce was trying to light. I slid it into my inner blazer pocket and got out of there when the coast was clear.

It didn't take long for Walsh and Duffy to figure out what happened. "A buncha firecrackers?" Walsh huffed. "Are you serious?"

"I call them crackle bursts!" Duffy told the chief excitedly.

As you can imagine, it was not well received. "I swear to god, Duffy, one of these days I'm going to pistol-whip you."

I was able to avoid them and work my way back over to Flynn and Naomi at the edge of the risers. "I found the firework Bryce was holding when everything went to hell," I patted my chest over the pocket, "but what now?"

"Even if our lab had the means to analyze it, it's not like I could use the evidence," Naomi frowned.

Flynn shifted in his place, chewing his cheek and avoiding eye contact. "Why do you look like you have a bad idea?" I asked.

"I… might know a guy who knows a thing or two about explosives," he suggested.

Naomi looked over at him, her hand on her hip. "Through perfectly legal channels, I presume," she sounded doubtful, knowing that wasn't the case.

He pursed his lips guiltily. "Yeah, not so much."

She sighed. "Right. I'm going to pretend you never mentioned this 'guy' to me. And on that note, I should get back before they figure out that was a deliberate diversion," her annoyance came back. "You two be safe, and call me when you've got anything." She headed towards Walsh and Duffy.

I turned to Flynn suspiciously. "So… this 'guy' you know…," I raised an eyebrow as we walked to the front of the property.

"Three guesses where to find him," he smirked.

"Shipwreck Sally's?" I guessed.

"Got it in one," he smiled wider. He tossed a helmet at me when we reached his bike. I climbed on behind him and we sped off towards the docks.

When we reached the bar, Flynn jerked his head towards a guy in the corner nursing a drink. "That's my guy," he tried to keep a straight face.

"Why doesn't this surprise me?" I let out a small chuckle.

We approached Nikolai's table. His eyes flickered up at us, looking alarmed. "I can see you did not heed my warning," he scowled, looking at our torn clothing.

I hadn't even thought about how bad we looked. We had ash on our faces and in our hair, one of Flynn's pant legs was torn, and Ms. Harlenay's red slacks had a new hole in the knee. "Oh, we were just in an… accident," I was going to say explosion, but I figured that part was obvious.

He nodded. "Da. I have heard all about this… 'accident'. Bryce Sterling blown up at the gala into many smithereens," he… described… very vividly. "Koshmar."

"So you know what we-," Flynn started, but Nikolai held up his giant hand, cutting him off.

"First, we drink," he gestured for us to sit then called the waitress over. We took our spots next to him. "Please, something for my friends. You will put it on my tab."

The young girl smiled. "Sure, what'll it be?" It took me a second to get my thoughts in order. She… she looked like a younger Kate.

"I'll have a beer. Whatever's on tap," Flynn ordered.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "Vodka, straight," I'd had a series of long days and a beer and some wine wasn't going to cut it anymore.

Nikolai smiled. "You are trying to get on my good side, perhaps?" Then he stared down at me. "This is a stereotype, you know. That all Russians love vodka?"

I gasped. _Shit… I did a thing._ "No, I just… I needed something strong, is all," I tried to explain, not even thinking about how bad that just looked.

He laughed loudly. "I make tease. It is true that I love vodka, and many other drinks as well."

"Coming right up!" the waitress grinned before going to make the drinks.

Nikolai cleared his throat. "So," he looked down at Flynn.

"So," Flynn said back up to him.

"So?" I joined in, wondering who was going to talk first.

Nikolai cracked his knuckles loudly then jabbed his meaty finger to Flynn's chest, pushing him back a bit. I sat up a bit, nervous, but there wasn't anything _I_ could do to stop him. " _You_ did not listen to me. I told you to stay away from the Sterlings," he poked him as he spoke. "And I do not believe you were at the gala for the shrimps cocktail."

Flynn frowned. "They're blaming my sister for Tanner's murder. I need to clear her name," he said honestly. I put my hand on his shoulder.

The big man put his finger down with a sigh. "Yes, yes. I understand why you disobeyed now. To think of such a flower, wilting away in jail… it is terrible." The waitress slid us our drinks and he raised his glass. "To Katerina," he said.

Flynn and I raised our drinks, too. "To Katerina," we both said before taking long sips of our respected beverages.

Flynn cleared his throat. "You're probably not going to like this, but we need your help," he looked up at Nikolai.

"I'm listening," he said. Flynn motioned for me to show him, so I pulled the scrap of firework out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Blyat…," he spat. "Why do you bring me this?"

"We need to know if it's been tampered with," I told him, not caring about his past, though I was a bit curious.

"From what I hear, you know your way around an explosive," Flynn gave him a sideways glance.

Nikolai took it from Flynn and held it up to the light, turning it around to see the angles. "I… cannot be sure… Perhaps. It looks… off. I must take this to my workshop. Take it apart. Find your proof," his thick brow furrowed. "If this is what I think it is, things are very bad, indeed. We may all be in danger."

"I knew it," Flynn stared angrily down at his beer.

"You can hold onto it for now," I said.

"I was not asking for permission," Nikolai looked down at me through the corner of his eye. I sipped at my vodka, not wanting to say anything else. He placed the scrap into his bag and threw a fifty on the counter, standing to leave. "We are in the shark-filled waters," he spoke cryptically. "If you know what's good for you, stay out of sight, and out of more trouble," he warned before exiting the bar.

I looked at Flynn after a long pause. "So… what now? We just wait? Drink another round?" I suggested the last bit, looking down at my drink, which was now half empty.

"Actually," he stared at his beer. "I was gonna head back to my place. Would you… maybe… wanna join?" he looked up at me, hope in his eyes. "The stars from my rooftop are pretty incredible," he smiled suggestively.

I smirked. "I thought you'd never ask." We finished our drinks and headed out. We started down the docks, bumping shoulders as we walked. He still had a bit of a limp, but he was looking better. I stared at his hair for a while before running my hand through it, trying to shake some of the ash out of it. He swatted me away playfully. "You look like a mess," I joked.

"I'd say the same, but you always seem to look good," he smirked. I blushed, looking away. It was one of the first times I didn't have a comeback. "We can clean up when we get in," he stopped and gestured to his left.

"Wait, you live on a houseboat?" I asked, a bit shocked, but not as surprised as I probably should have been. It made sense when I thought about it.

"I thought I told you that," he looked back at me.

I shook my head. "Pretty sure I would have remembered a detail like that."

"What, do you have something against houseboats?" he looked too serious. I had to fix it.

I nodded. "I'm a member of Citizens Against Houseboats, actually. We're small but growing. Soon, your time will come," I smirked.

He laughed. "I'll watch my back," he jumped onto his boat and extended a hand to help me onboard. He opened the main door and waved his hand with a flourish. "Welcome to my castle…"

"You've got one hell of a moat," I joked. He turned on the lights, allowing me to snoop around a bit. There was a small couch with a hide-a-bed, a kitchenette with barstools, and a small coffee table. It was a bachelor pad if I'd ever seen one. "It's like a tiny house but on the water!" I beamed.

"That's… a way to put it," he looked a bit offended.

I laughed. "It's a compliment, really. Tiny-houses are all the rage right now." I looked around again. "Besides, I live in New York. This is the Taj Mahal compared to my studio apartment."

"You know," he took a step closer to me, looking down at the ground before meeting my eyes, "I meant what I said about looking at the stars from the rooftop," he bit the inside of his lip discreetly, but I noticed.

"I assumed that was one of those 'want to watch a movie?' excuses to get me over here," I smirked.

He looked bashful. "I mean, yeah, it was, but it really is a hell of a show," his hand lightly touched mine.

I laced my fingers with his, pulling our hands up to look at them. "That sounds amazing," I smiled, "but we should probably clean up first." Our hands were speckled with dust and ash from _god_ knows what.

He nodded. "Yeah, the bathroom's over here," he led me to the small washroom, our hands still joined.

While he was getting changed and I was rinsing my face and hair, I said, "I need to ask you something." I saw his head turn to me through the crack in the door. "How did you know Nikolai was the go-to guy for explosives?" I looked up at myself in the mirror. My face, neck, and hands were clean now, but the blazer I'd draped over the side of the shower was filthy. I'd rolled up the sleeves to the white shirt, but that was the best I was going to do as far as clothes.

"You… you don't want to hear about that," he mumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I leaned against the doorway. "I won't judge you, Flynn," I said, dabbing at my wet hair with a hand towel. "Seriously, I promise."

He sighed as he opened the door all the way. He'd changed into his usual T and jeans. I thought he looked good in a suit, but this was his best look. "When I got out of prison, I worked some odd jobs. Nothing illegal, but… well, they weren't exactly legal, either," he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "I drove some shipments down the coast. Didn't know what they were, and I didn't ask. Once, I made a delivery to these Russian guys near New York. Real sketchy dudes. One of them, Mikhail, was chatty. When he found out I lived in Bridgeport, he started asking about Nikolai, specifically if he was still 'blowing things up and burning things down'," he did air quotes.

"He just slipped that into the conversation?" I asked, laying the towel across the back of my neck.

He frowned. "Like I said, this job wasn't exactly on the up-and-up. He probably thought we were all on the same team," he shrugged and looked at the floor, looking pretty embarrassed about the whole thing.

I had to ask. "Do you still do… odd jobs?"

He sucked his teeth. "Hell no. I'm not taking that risk anymore," he frowned again. "But… I can't promise you I'll ever do things by the book."

"If that's supposed to scare me, you're in for a real shock," I caught his eye. "Let me remind you that ya boi, Tanner, just stole some forensic evidence today," I joked.

"We definitely know how to keep things interesting," he finally smiled, making my heart skip. _That's different_. "Speaking of which," he stood up straight, "you ready to see some stars? I know it sounds pretty tame, but they'll blow your mind."

I chuckled. "Gee, I sure hope I can handle it."

He walked passed me back into the living room kitchen area. He snagged a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from the cabinet. "You take these. I'll grab the blanket," he handed them to me.

"While you're at it," I smirked, "why don't you grab that guitar, too?"

"Dammit…," he mumbled. "I was kinda hoping you wouldn't notice that," he said as he opened a cabinet closer to the couch.

I chuckled. "Like I wouldn't. You play, don't you?" I teased, knowing he wasn't the type to keep a guitar to look cool.

"Not for people, no. It's just… something I do to pass the time," he said, turning back to me, blanket in hand.

"I don't suppose you'd care to 'pass the time' with _me_ , would you?" I gave him a sly grin.

He shook his head, a blush running up his cheeks as he smiled. "Fine, but only 'cause you're so damn cute when you ask," he said, grabbing the guitar from against the wall by the neck. "That should be everything. This way," he led me out the door we'd come in and up the ladder beside it on the deck. He spread the blanket out and sat down, patting the ground next to him for me to join him. "Drink?" he asked, bottle in hand.

"Always," I snickered, sitting next to him as he poured two glasses. I took a sip, feeling the warmth of it run down my throat.

"There's the Big Dipper," he pointed up at the stars as they twinkled above us. "Orion's belt," he pointed to another group of stars, lying back on the blanket.

I laughed, lying beside him, our arms grazing each other. "I know the constellations, Flynn," I teased.

"Good, because I only know those two," he smirked.

Just to show him up, I pointed to another one. "Summer triangle," I said.

"Nerd," he rolled his eyes. I nudged him with my elbow in response. He laughed and leaned up on his arm to look down at me.

"So… how'd you end up living on a boat?" I asked, adoring the look on his face.

"Remember when I told you about loving the docks as a kid?" I nodded. "It was my favorite place on earth," he looked down at his hands, "especially when my parents were fighting, which was always. One of the dockworkers, this old guy, Hanley Smalls, kind of took an interest. Taught me how to fish, how to play poker…" he trailed off.

I leaned up on my elbows. "And he gave you a houseboat?"

He frowned again. "Hanley racked up some serious debts. It wasn't his fault. The fishing industry was really struggling, and small operators got hit hard," he explained. "Bridgeport's tiny, so everyone knew who held his loan. Guy's office is right here at the fishing terminal. That guy was a total asshole. No sympathy whatsoever. He was planning to repossess Hanley's houseboat," he got a bit irritated at the thought and started picking at his thumb. "Luckily, he had some problems of his own. Couldn't resist a good game of poker. The higher the stakes, the better."

"So you got him to stake the houseboat," I filled in, impressed.

He nodded. "Eventually, yeah. At first I let him win, so he'd get over confident, then slowly let him keep upping the stakes until we were playing for the boat."

I laughed. "You hustled him. I'm so proud."

He beamed down at me. "Hell yes, I did. Guy deserved it after what he did to Hanley. Long story short, I won back the boat, and when the old guy died, he left it to me."

"Please tell me you'll let me write that story someday," I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sure," he laughed. "Just as soon as you beat me in a game of poker."

"Challenge accepted," I chuckled, sitting up. I grabbed the guitar, holding it in my lap. "So, are you going to play this thing for me, or just let it get weathered by the sea breeze?"

He sighed heavily, sitting up and sliding it from my lap to his. Once he was settled and got his nerves under control, he began to strum.

I grinned from ear to ear, recognizing it immediately. "I love this song!"

"Really? You know this one?" he asked, a bit shocked.

"I had a country phase," I joked, swaying as he played.

"You're full of surprises, Tanner," he played more confidently. I started humming along, eventually letting words come out. Soon, we were both singing and having a great time. His voice was raspy, but that only made the sound richer. He laughed. "Damn, you're pretty good. Maybe we should start a band," he joked.

I chortled, rocking into his shoulder. "A crime-solving folk duo? We'd have to travel the country in an old Winnebago and solve mysteries," I couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm game if you are," he smiled, locking eyes with me when I finally settled down a bit.

I could have stared at him forever, but a streak through the sky behind him caught my attention. "A shooting star!" I pointed, feeling like a little kid. It'd been a long time since I'd felt this happy to be anywhere.

"They're good luck, you know," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like my mother. She's superstitious as all get out. Ladybugs, stars, pennies, that sort of thing."

He put the guitar down and turned to me. "There's nothing wrong with that," he leaned in close to me, wiping at my cheek with his thumb. I'd been laughing and smiling so hard that my eye had started to water. His lips were mere inches from mine. I went for it, pushing myself into him. He wrapped his arms around me as I practically straddled his lap, grabbing his shirt. "Tanner," he whispered into my lips before kissing along my jaw to my ear. I shivered. "I've never felt like this about anyone before," he whispered huskily. Before I could respond, his hand was untucking my shirt while he added, "I want you so bad, right now."

I wanted to, _lord_ did I want to, but I was nervous. I looked around for any stray eyes.

"There's no-one out here tonight, but us," he said, when he noticed my hesitation.

I gave in, kissing him one more time before tugging at his shirt, unable to use my words. I really felt like a kid… He pulled his shirt off and I finally got to see where all that tattoo went. I kissed at his shoulder, tracing the Celtic symbols with my fingertips down his arm. "You're absolutely gorgeous, you know that?" I said, sitting back up to take his image in. From his sea blue gaze to his abs, this boy was perfect, like the David. He grinned slyly at me and began unbuttoning my shirt, but my nerves suddenly kicked in. "Wait," I grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking up at me as I frowned.

"Not the shirt," I said, looking away. I still had a nasty looking bruise and I didn't want him to see it. I figured if it stayed covered, he wouldn't make a big deal out of it, since he hadn't seen it before.

He slid his hand gently to my side and kissed my rib through my shirt. "You don't have to hide it," he looked up at me.

"Yeah, but," I bit my lip nervously. He finished unbuttoning my shirt and slid it off my shoulders, leaving just my undershirt to cover it, but you could still see the darker spots.

"If you don't want to, I get it," he said, kissing my hand.

I struggled with my thoughts. "I want to, I do," I started, but bit my lip again. I convinced myself. "Just… don't let it stop you," I said, kissing him deeply on the lips before removing my shirt.

His fingers traced the bruise for a second, making me wince a little near the bottom of my ribcage. "This is way too good. How could I stop?" he beamed up at me, pulling me in for another kiss. I pushed him down onto his back and leaned over him. His hand slid down my back and to the edge of my pants, which didn't seem to stop him. He squeezed my cheek, pulling my hips into his.

It wasn't long until our pants were scattered across the deck. I was on my back and he was kissing his way down my torso to my hips. "Flynn," I moaned his name, inadvertently arching up to meet his touch. My hand threaded through his dark curls as he kissed my thighs. His lips felt so good, that anything else that could have or should have been on my mind disappeared. I felt a bit dizzy. "Flynn, you're amazing," I said breathlessly as he worked his way back up.

"We're just getting started," he grinned devilishly. I'd never wanted someone so much.

"I'm all yours," I offered, pulling him into a deep, tongue tangling kiss. His hips bucked against mine, rocking us with the waves. After a little while, I noticed a look in his eye I'd seen before. His stubbornness was showing. His shoulder was hurting. I pulled him close and flipped us over, so I was on top, straddling his hips.

"Oh?" he grinned, running his hands along my outer thighs. I leaned back into him, wiggling my hips. His mouth was greedy and kept attacking my neck and ears. I gripped the blanket below us tightly as pure ecstasy washed over me. He was so warm, and everywhere our bodies touched tingled with pleasure. I was totally lost in him.

A while… a _long_ while later, we laid still, his arm around me as I leaned on his chest, listening to his rapid pulse. It wasn't long after that when we both drifted off.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I woke up to an obnoxious buzzing noise. "The hell?" I mumbled, grabbing my phone from my pant pocket a little ways away. Flynn's arm was still around me, so I tried not to wake him. "Hello?" I answered, feeling a bit groggy.

"Tanner, so glad I caught you." I knew that voice… and it didn't make my day… "This is Chief Walsh, and, boy, did you ever screw up today."

"What are you talking about?" I groaned, sitting up. Flynn's eyes wedged open and he shook his head to wake himself up. _Damn it._

"You stole evidence from my crime scene," he accused. I mean he wasn't wrong. "That's a serious offence!"

"I… wait a minute…," I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "What 'crime scene'? Last I heard, it was just an 'accident that happens to thousands of Americans'."

"It's whatever I want it to be, and you'd better get your ass down here right now," he barked, "or I'll drag you here in cuffs!"

I looked down at my phone. "He hung up on me!" I groaned and threw my phone off to the side back towards my pants then fell backwards and curled up on my side.

"What? Who?" Flynn was so confused.

I snuggled back under his arm, wishing that time would reverse by a few hours. "Walsh. He knows we took evidence," I grumbled. "He says if we don't come down to the station, he'll arrest us."

"He's bluffing," he said angrily, wrapping his arm back around me protectively.

"I don't think he is," I groaned again. _What a pain_. "This time… I think he might have us."

It didn't take us long to get changed and leave the boat. The sun had only just started to rise, but we didn't have time to stop and enjoy it. Flynn drove me to the inn so I could take a shower and put on something less… covered in death… In fifteen minutes, I was back on the motorcycle and headed to the precinct. The whole drive, I worried about what Walsh was going to do. Was I walking into my own doom? Was he bluffing, like Flynn said?

When we stopped on the curb outside the station, I asked, "What's Walsh's angle? Why drag me in like this?" The question was mostly for my own thoughts, but answered anyway.

"Seems pretty obvious to me," he growled, taking his helmet off before dismounting the bike. "You're a threat to him."

I sighed grimly and put my own helmet on the back seat. "It doesn't feel that way right about now," I took a deep breath, prepping myself for the interaction that determined my fate. I started towards the door, but just as I rounded the bike, Flynn grabbed my wrist.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Tanner," he started, frowning as he continued, "but I don't want to make this situation worse," he let my wrist go as I turned back to him. "Do you want me to go in with you, or stay out of it? Whatever you decide, I'll respect."

I took his hand in mine, looking down at it. "Honestly, I could use the backup. I don't know what's about to happen. Hope for the best, plan for the worst kind of thing," I met his eyes. "I don't want to be alone if the worst happens." He gave me a comforting smile and pulled me into a quick hug. "Just promise me you're not going to punch Walsh when he inevitably acts like a massive jerk," I mumbled into his shoulder.

"I don't make promises I can't keep, Tanner," he smirked as we pulled apart, "but I'll do my best to restrain myself. I'm right behind you whenever you need me."

"That's all I can ask," I beamed. It took us a second to realize that we had other things to do. It was so easy to get lost in each other.

Inside the station, I looked for Naomi, but her desk was empty… really empty…

"Well, well, well, look who came crawling back," Walsh had his arms crossed in his chair with his feet propped up on the corner of his desk, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

"You've just been waiting 'till I showed up to say that, haven't you," rolled my eyes as we approached him.

"He even practiced in the mirror!" Duffy grinned widely in the corner behind the chief, pretty amused.

Walsh slammed his feet into the ground and leaned forward in his chair, spinning to glare at the young man behind him. "Shut your trap, Duffy! This doesn't concern you!"

"So," I interrupted his shaming session, "I'm here. What do you want, Walsh?" I stopped short of his desk.

"That's _Chief_ Walsh to you," he huffed. "And I'd drop the attitude. We've already got you on larceny. You don't want me to add obstruction of justice to that."

"With what proof?" I stared down at him, unamused by his top-of-the-food-chain act, my hands in my pockets.

His eyes narrowed. "How about the sworn testimony of a police deputy who saw you leaving the scene with the item in question?"

My eyes darted to Duffy. "You didn't have to _say_ it was me…," he avoided my stare and fidgeted with his shirt sleeve.

"What, you're worried they won't like you? For god's sake, Duffy!" Walsh spat at him again.

"Cut to the chase," I crossed my arms. "Am I under arrest or what?"

Flynn had been standing silently behind me until now. "The answer to that better be 'no'." I know that he didn't _mean_ to look scary _all_ the time, but now was one of those times where he did…

"Was that a _threat_ , O'Malley?" Walsh looked sideways at him, leaning one elbow on his desk, the other hand on his knee.

Flynn glanced at me, almost asking me for permission to say 'yes', but I shook my head. I didn't want him getting in any more trouble than he already had, which was why _I_ took the firework in the first place. He clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything.

Walsh kicked his feet back up, putting his hands behind his head as he relaxed with a smirk. "Good dog," he sneered. Flynn looked like he was holding in a growl. He really was a bit of a dog… but not the way that pig had meant it. "Now, here's the deal. I could throw you in a holding cell, put your ass on trial," he started. "If everything went right, you might be locked up for a decade, he reveled at the thought.

"Not for a-," I was going to argue, but he cut me off.

"But Mr. Sterling would prefer we take a more… discreet route," he grumbled, crossing his arms angrily.

"And what route, exactly, does Mr. Sterling suggest?" I almost spat the name. The whole situation, from day one, had me just as pissed as Flynn was behind me.

Walsh sat straight, leaning both elbows on the desk and looking sternly up at me. "You leave town. _Now_ ," he said.

"He can't be serious," I shook my head in disbelief.

"This is a get-out-of-jail-free card. You should be _jumping_ at this," he glared. "All you have to do is," he stood up and pointed towards the door, "GET OUT OF MY TOWN!" His voice rang through the precinct. _It's too early for this_. I held a finger to my ear until the echo stopped.

"This isn't _your_ town," Flynn took a step forward, looking like he was imagining all the ways to kill this man where he stood.

"The hell it's not," Walsh argued. "And I don't appreciate your tone. Maybe a few more years in a cell would fix that attitude," he cocked his head, looking insane. Flynn scowled, but said nothing. "That's better. So, are you going to take my deal… or are we gonna have to do this the hard way?" he crossed his arms and tapped his food impatiently.

I smirked cockily with my hands back in my pockets, now so pissed that my brain snapped from anger to reporter mode. "You don't have proof, _Chief_ ," I started. "You can't throw me in jail without evidence, and there isn't any. Go ahead, search me, my room at the B-and-B, whatever. Tell me what you find."

"I don't need _evidence_. Deputy Dumbass here was an _eyewitness_ ," he argued.

I laughed. "If you'd studied even a bit of law before planting your behind in that chair of yours, you'd know that eyewitnesses are often irreputable. It was dark, smoky, chaotic… it wouldn't be hard at all to poke holes in Duffy's story," I leaned back on my leg confidently.

"It's barely holding together now!" Duffy smiled from his corner, making me smile.

Walsh didn't seem to know which one of us to bitch at first. He shook his head at Duffy, sighing heavily, then pointed at me, his face scrunched in rage. "You're a real pain in my ass, you know that? You and Silverhawk deserve each other," he hissed.

My smile faded. "Where is Naomi, anyway?" I looked back at her empty desk.

"Probably drowning her sorrows by now," he was the one with the sly smile now. "I fired her insubordinate ass."

"Why? She's the best deputy on your force," my irritation was back.

"Yeah, maybe, until she helped you pull that stunt at the gala," he grunted. "She disobeyed direct orders! I never trusted her, of course. Too self-righteous, _way_ too uppity, but I didn't think she'd turn full traitor. I've half a mind to lock her up, too."

"You might want to reevaluate your definitions there. To the rest of the world that's called 'having a moral compass'," I spat back at him. "You might want to get one." He looked like he'd explode. He was red-faced and shaking.

"What, were you afraid she'd show you up, Walsh?" Flynn jabbed.

"Enough of this crap! I'm making you one hell of a generous offer," he hissed. "You've got two hours to take it. After that… I'm coming for you."

I was going to say something else, but this time it was _Flynn_ who needed to stop _me_ from getting into more trouble. He jerked his head towards the door. After exchanging one last glare, we left.

"Well, I didn't punch him," Flynn growled, kicking the lamppost next to his bike. "You can't believe how much I'm regretting that."

"If you hadn't stopped me, I might have done it myself," I crossed my arms, leaning against his motorcycle. "But I'm proud of you," I added. He paced a little, wringing his hands to calm down. "Do you think he's bluffing?" I asked, not sure if my confidence would last much longer.

"Probably," he said, turning on his heel to walk the other direction. "He must know Duffy's accusations won't hold up in court, but he saw his chance to try to strongarm you into leaving, and he took it."

I curled my lip. "I'm not going _anywhere_. I came here for Kate and I'm not leaving until I _know_ she's safe." Suddenly, I remembered. "Which means I should probably check up on Naomi," I frowned, feeling terrible for getting her fired. "This is all my fault."

"It's not," he stopped and turned to me, his hard expression softening. "But I'm sure she'd appreciate the company." He looked towards the street lamp he'd kicked. "While you're doing that, I'll flush Tony Rez out of whatever rathole he's hiding in. I want to know what he was doing at that gala."

I nodded. "Good idea," I stood and took a step towards him. "Just… be careful, Flynn," I wanted to reach out to him, but I hesitated because I didn't think either of us were in the right mood for it. Emotions are complicated.

He nodded. "I'll drop you off," he picked up his helmet and hopped on the bike.

"Thanks," I smiled weakly, pulling out my phone. "Let me figure out where she is first," I dialed her number and took a few steps down the curb.

"Tanner, I was wondering when I'd hear from you," she answered faster than I thought she might.

"Hey, Naomi," I said, feeling awfully guilty. "I just left the station. I heard what Walsh did… I'm so sorry… Where are you right now?"

"Home," she said simply. "Nowhere else to be, really."

"Can I come over?" I asked. "I'd like to see you."

She paused for a second. "Sure. I can show you around the ranch. Maybe it'll distract me from all… this…"

She gave me her address and we hung up. Flynn knew the area, so it didn't take long at all to get there. "Call me when you're ready to leave," he said before speeding off down to the docks.

Her house was on a decently sized plot of land on the outskirts of the town. It was a beautiful wooded area. _I can see why Naomi likes it._ She opened the door as I started up the drive. She looked exhausted.

"Tanner," she greeted with a frown.

I didn't think twice before hugging her. "I'm so sorry. First your car, now your job… It's all my fault."

She rubbed my shoulder. "I made my decision and I don't regret it," she said. "And you weren't driving the car that pushed us off the road, so it's not your fault." We pulled apart and she walked me into her home. "I became an officer because I believed in justice, because I believed in standing up for what's right," she led me to her living room, where a country style rug took up most of the hardwood floor. "I couldn't stand by and let Walsh cover up the truth. _Especially_ when that means a killer walks free." She sat down on the couch and gestured for me to join her. "I guess when it comes down to it, I'd rather lose my job than compromise my ideals," she frowned.

"I think that's incredible," I grinned. "Not a lot of people would be willing to make a sacrifice like that."

The corner of her mouth turned up a bit, but even that much was forced. "Thanks. Too bad 'incredible' doesn't pay the bills."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "When we find the truth, we'll expose Walsh's corruption," I said confidently. "Then we can make this right. You'll be running the department in no time," I continued trying to make her smile. I didn't know how to deal with sad situations. I was one of those people who often made jokes at the wrong time to try to defuse a situation, but it didn't always work.

"That's a nice thought," her hand reached up for mine, "but the world isn't always so simple… or fair." She was starting to sound like Flynn and it bothered me. Not because I didn't like Flynn's attitude, _clearly_ I did, but Naomi was strong, brave, and the first to charge into complicated and unfair situations. It was kind of her schtick. Seeing her so depressed felt terrible and wrong. "Good people don't always win. Justice doesn't always triumph. Sometimes… the bad guy gets away."

"Okay, that's enough of that," I squeezed her shoulder, causing her to look up at my hardened features. "I get that this is horrible and that things just keep getting worse, but you are _Naomi Silverhawk_ ," I stared into her eyes, "and she _never_ gives up. She's the bravest person I know." Now she was smiling. It was small, but it was there. "We _will_ get the bad guy, and we _won't_ let some piece of chilief ruin it for us," I added in a joke from one of my favorite sitcoms growing up, _SOAP_.

That got her to smile a bit wider. "So, you said you came from the station. Walsh called you in?"

I nodded. "He told me to leave town. Threatened to arrest me if I didn't," I took my hand off her shoulder, my irritation returning.

"That son of a-," she started.

"Yeah, well I'm calling his bluff," I said, standing firm. "I'm not going anywhere until we put the real killer behind bars."

She locked eyes with me. "Tanner… I need you to understand…," she looked down for a second and sighed. "I'm not good at getting close to people. I've been burned too many times, so I'm not exactly the best at talking about my feelings, but I just want you to know that I'm glad I met you. Even with everything that's happened, it was worth it to find a friend like you," she grinned. After a moment of friendly silence, she said, "You know what this day needs? I ride in the forest."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not that I enjoy mentioning this, but your car is totaled, Naomi," I started, but she shook her head.

"No, no. A horseback ride," she beamed.

I smiled back at her. "Right. That makes _way_ more sense." Of course she had horses.

She nodded. "I think it would really help clear my head. Care to join?" she asked.

"Duh," I let out a low laugh when I saw the excitement on her face.

She jumped up from the couch and grabbed my hand, leading my out the back door. "Are you comfortable on a horse?" she walked backwards over the grassy yard to a small shed-like structure.

"Eh," I tilted my hand to say so-so. "I'm passable. I had a friend in high school that took me riding at her grandparents' farm in Nebraska one summer," I explained.

"Great!" she giggled. "Then I won't have to baby you through this."

"Um," I objected, "don't be so sure. I'm a bit rusty."

She shook her head. "Nah, once you've learned, you never forget."

I was still weary. "I'm not so sure about that."

"I'm just glad I get to share this with someone," she ignored me. "Some of my happiest moments have been on rides. The wind in my face, the feel of the horse beneath me… it's like there's nothing else in the world." She looked so happy. I couldn't _not_ go along with her.

"Okay, you've sold me," I laughed, following her behind the shed to a fenced in area where two horses grazed. She runs over to the brown one, who was closest to us, and stroked her neck.

"This is Elina the Second," she introduced, putting her nose against the horse's. When they pulled apart, the horse whinnied.

"The second?" I asked with a smile.

She nodded. "The first Elina was my horse in Wyoming. Growing up, she was pretty much my only friend," she told me, gesturing for me to come closer. I put my hand out for Elina to sniff at my fingers before petting the bridge of her nose gently. "She's a good horse, very calm. She should be easier for you to ride. I'll take Nightbringer over there," she pointed to a grey and black stallion who shook his head in the air upon hearing his name.

I snickered. "And he's called Nightbringer because…"

"Because it's a badass name, is why," she beamed.

"Touché," I shrugged as she ran over to him. While she was gone, I spoke to Elina. Her big brown eyes stared into mine as I rustled her mane. "Hi there, Elina. We're going to have a nice ride together, yeah?" I stroked her nose and she nudged my face.

"I'm going to get the saddles. I'll just be a minute," she called out to me before heading into the shed. Elina and I bonded a bit more. "Looks like you made a new friend," Naomi came back out with one saddle over each arm.

I looked Elina up and down, tracing my finger down the white scar from her ears to her mouth. "She's awfully sweet," I grinned and she whinnied, like she understood me.

It didn't take long for Naomi to secure the saddles on the horses. Her swift movements were impressive. The horses danced in place, excited to go out. "Alright, we're all saddled up," she gave Nightbringer a hardy pat on the shoulder. "Need help mounting?" she turned to me.

I shook my head with a laugh. "No, I think I should be just fine doing this much by myself," I walked around to Elina's side. Naomi climbed up onto Nightbringer and trotted around in a quick circle. He seemed antsy. I threw my leg over Elina, feeling a bit nostalgic when I got settled in the saddle. I was bigger than the last time I'd been on a horse, so it was still new. I patted Elina's neck and leaned down to ask her to bear with my amateurish skills. She shook her head, like she was telling me it was fine.

"I told you it'd all come back to you," Naomi grinned. "Now, follow me," she began to trot towards the open gate in the fence on the far side of the field.

We rode out of the country style neighborhood and into field of yellow flowers that looked a bit like rapeseed, aka canola. At the far end, the flowers faded into the tree line and rolling hills. "What a view," I looked up at the sky, which was surprisingly clear. It had been cloudy the last few days, but today had crystal clear skies; only one or to real clouds fading into wisps of white.

"It's not Wyoming, but it's not too shabby either," Naomi shrugged.

I frowned a bit. "I'm sorry it took… so much happening… for us to do this together."

She took a deep breath and turned her face to the sun, looking like a chocolate lily with her red leather jacket and her dark hair freed from its usual ponytail. "It's a beautiful day, I've got a great horse under me, and I'm out with a good friend," she grinned. "That's what I'm focusing on now. The rest can wait an hour or so."

"You're right," I admitted, a bit painfully to myself, but it was true. We couldn't do much now anyway. We were just waiting for something to happen, like Kate's bail hearing. We rode side-by-side through the meadow of flowers. "So, I was wondering: what does your family think of you being a cop?"

She looked out over the field. "Honestly, I think my mother was a little disappointed at first," she began. "Where we lived, we only had ourselves to rely on. Police weren't a thing we could count on, or even really relate to." She took a deep breath. "She couldn't understand why I'd want it, and of course, I think she hated to see me leave home."

"That must have been hard for you," I sympathized.

She shook her head again. "I worked out in the end. We love each other, and she was there when I graduated from the academy, beaming with pride."

I smiled. "I'm glad the story has a happy ending."

"Me, too," she grinned back at me. For a few minutes, we rode in silence, broken only by the sound of hooves pounding the dirt. She was only a few paces in front of me, but it was fun to watch her in her element… outside of work I mean. "Let's run," she glanced slyly over her shoulder.

"Um," I objected, "do you really think that's a good-," I started, but she'd already began sprinting across the rest of the meadow. "Ugh, _fine_ ," I chucked before digging my heels into Elina's sides. She took off beneath me, running quickly to catch up with Nightbringer. The horses looked ecstatic that they were able to run together. I jostled around a bit, but eventually got my bearings and leaned forward, encouraging her to go faster.

Naomi laughed proudly when I caught up to her. "Looks like you're not as rusty as you thought," she slowed down a bit. Elina kept the same pace as Nightbringer, making me wonder if she'd been listening to me at all or just playing with her friend. "Isn't it perfect?" she looked out over the top of the hill we'd reached.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the wind through my hair. It was arguably better than my bike back home, since I wasn't forced to wear a helmet or smell burning fuel. Both were fun, but this was more refreshing. "I'll admit, it's a pretty cool way to clear your head." I opened my eyes and looked out across the field. My eyes landed what looked like a small barn. "Hey, what's that?" I pointed.

She followed my finger. "Not sure," she said.

"Do you know this place?" I asked, wondering if she'd ridden out here before.

She shook her head curtly. "No, actually. I've never ridden out this way before." We rode up to the barn and dismounted, tying the horses to one of the support columns near the door. Naomi walked up to the door and wiped the dirt off of the tarnished silver crest on the wall. It was an ornate symbol bearing a large 'S' in the middle. "The Sterling Family seal?" she gasped.

"But why would that be on an old abandoned barn?" I asked, thinking that they were too posh to get their hands dirty with something like a farm.

"The family has been amassing property around here for centuries," she explained. "I'm guessing the current Sterlings have never even visited half of it."

I nodded, running my hand around the wood of the door. "Looks like this one definitely fell off the radar," I was impressed at how good of shape the outer structure was, even though the dirt and rust showed how long it'd been left alone.

"Wanna check it out?" she grinned deviously at me.

I chuckled. "Naomi Silverhawk, how positively mischievous of you," I teased.

She returned the laugh. "That's the silver lining of being fired. I don't have to worry about doing things by the book anymore."

I tapped my fingers together maniacally. "Welcome to the dark side," I did my best Darth Sidious impression. When we were done laughing, we pulled the door open. The wheels on the slides were rusted and needed a bit of a tug to start working. The large piece of wood squeaked until it left a wide enough gap for us to squeeze through. "Wow, this place really _is_ in good shape," I said mostly to myself as I looked around at the tall barn. The roof was higher than it had looked from the outside, held up by support beams that climbed the walls like spiderwebs every two yards. There was a ladder that led up to a loft that covered the last two segments. The floor was covered in hay and broken pallets and barrels. There was a bit of equipment left in the corners, like a rake, pitchforks, a hoe, and a plow sized for a donkey or very small mule.

"It's clearly been abandoned for ages, but it was built to last, that's for sure," she agreed, also looking around. There weren't many gaps for light, but there were two windows with cracked and clouded glass letting in enough for us to see as long as the sun was still up. Added with the light from the door, it was enough for us to see, but not the best. She kneeled down and pick up one of the boards from a busted pallet.

"What were these for, I wonder?" I looked over her shoulder. "Maybe the Sterlings stored some shipments here?" I suggested, but we were thinking the same thing.

"We're a bit far from the shoreline," she said. "Maybe, though." She threw the board down where she found it and walked over to a stack of hay that I was surprised was still standing after all this time. "On the bright side, they left their hay," she grinned widely.

"That's a real low bar for a bright side," I laughed. "Oh, don't tell me…," I sighed, shaking my head with a smile. "You're gonna jump in it, aren't you?" Her grin only got wider. "That's such a country thing to do."

"Spoken like someone who's never jumped in a pile of hay," she giggled, turning and flopping down into the pile. "This is amazing," she took a deep breath. "Try it," she said when she looked up at my amused face. "I promise you'll like it."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "You're owning a serious stereotype right now," I sighed. "Fine, I'll do it, but if you tell anyone I'm ending our friendship," I joked, falling onto my back next to her. It was actually really soft. I wasn't fond of the smell, but whatever. I started moving my arms and legs like I was doing jumping jacks.

"What in the world are you doing?" she laughed.

"Hay-angels, duh," I grinned, looking myself over to see how successful I was.

She was laughing so hard, I thought she might actually hurt herself. "You are absolutely ridiculous, Tanner," she wiped at her eye.

I rolled my eyes. "Spoken like someone who hasn't seen how awesome this hay angel turned out," I teased. We laughed and rolled around for a bit. After a few minutes, I stopped and propped myself up on my elbow. When she stopped and made eye contact with me, I smiled. I was loading a handful of hay into my other hand behind my back. Before she could say anything, I chucked it at her, making it rain old dry hay like confetti and streamers at a high school dance.

"Hey!" she yelled, putting her arms up to guard against my attack.

" _That's_ the word I was looking for!" I joked. "It was right at the tip of my tongue, and now at the end of your nose," I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh man, that was _brutal_. Puns are the _worst_ crime, and now I've gotta take you down," she reached out to grab me, but I rolled backwards off the hay stack, luckily, landing on a patch of dirt that was free of debris.

"Nice try, Silverhawk, but I'm too slick," I jumped up when she stretched towards me again and danced goofily away from her.

She leaped up, laughing ridiculously hard, and grabbed my arm. I lost balance as she twisted my arm behind by back and dropped me back onto the hay stack. "No fair! Cop moves!" I objected playfully.

She jumped up, straddling my back with her knees on either side of my torso, and held my wrist between my shoulder blades. "No, _that_ was a cop move," she joked, "but this isn't." She began shoveling hay on top of me.

I tapped the pile of hay like I'd forfeited a wrestling match. "Okay, okay, I yield!" I tried to laugh, but the mixture between her weight, the hay in my face, and my chest caused me to choke and cough.

She rolled off of me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Sorry," she still had a smile, but not as big as before.

I shook my head. "It's fine," I grinned and sat up straight, dusting the hay off of my clothes. "You make me miss my sister," I said after a few seconds.

"You have a sister?" she asked, looking sideways at me.

I nodded. _She must not have heard me telling Flynn._ "Yeah, she's a year older than me, likes getting herself into trouble, and is stubborn as a bull," I grinned at the thought. "We haven't seen each other in a while, so this is fun."

She cocked her head. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "She's a mother and has her own family now, and I'm a workaholic. It's not that we don't talk anymore, but we just don't have a lot of time to see each other," I curled my lip and leaned back on my hands. "When I went to college, she was already married and had moved to South Carolina. Up until Kate, she was my only real friend." I shook the sad memories from my head. "I'm pretty happy with how things turned out, though. I have a beautiful niece, a charming nephew, and two best friends now," I beamed.

"I'm glad," she smiled.

We chatted for a little bit longer, but then the sun began to fall, making it harder to see inside the barn. "We should probably get going," I suggested.

"Good call," she nodded, jumping off of the pile of hay and dusting herself off.

When we got back to her place, she offered me tea while I waited for Flynn. It took him a bit to get there, but that was fine because Naomi and I were having a good time just talking. When he got there, he came in for a minute to tell her how bad he felt that she got fired.

"Alright, Jon Snow, I think we should let her get some rest," I suggested, and we started down the driveway as we waved our goodbyes.

"Is that nickname because I 'know nothing'?" he asked, throwing me a helmet.

I let out a quick laugh. "No," I smirked. "It's 'cause of 'that thing you do with your tongue'," I shoved my head into the helmet as he grinned proudly.

He dropped me off at the inn, kissing me goodnight before riding off. _Ah, crap!_ I'd forgotten to ask him how it went with Tony Rez. _I guess I'll ask him tomorrow_. I shuffled up to the room and faceplanted into my pillow, but I couldn't sleep like that. "Flynn was right, I do smell like a farm," I chuckled to myself then went to take a shower.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next morning, I woke up groaning. _Kate's bail hearing is today. I hope Grant can work his magic. Kate's been through too much and deserves to go home!_ I rolled out of bed and went about my regular routine. The suit I picked out was khaki with a nice vest and tie. I'd brought two nice suits for the wedding, but had chosen the black one to not upstage the bride… now I was glad I brought both… I hadn't expected to stay for this long.

When I walked out, ready to go, Ms. Harlenay was vacuuming the floors in the hallway. "Hello, dear," she smiled, turning off the vacuum. "You're off to Kate's hearing, I presume?"

I nodded. "Good morning, Ms. Harlenay. I'm headed there now."

She looked me over. "The epitome of class and style," she nodded approvingly. "You'll turn every head in the courtroom!" she giggled.

I laughed. "Maybe the judge will be too distracted to deny bail," I joked.

"Dear me, the real injustice would be ever taking that off," she pretended to fan herself. I rolled my eyes. "It reminds me of an old boyfriend," she started, and I took in a long breath to prepare for the running away part I was going to do next. "He had the most delicious quirk. When he was feeling… well, frisky… he'd put on this album of royal processionals and we'd-," she continued.

"Ms. Harlenay, as much as I love your stories," I lied, "I have to get going. Don't want to be late and all that." I dodged passed her in the hallway. She waved happily at me before continuing her cleaning. _This is going to be a regular thing now, isn't it?_ I grabbed a bagel from the breakfast area before running out to call a cab.

The courthouse was an old colonial style building with four large white columns in front. The floors were marbled and so shiny that they could blind someone. The hearing room was just as fancy. A red curtain hung behind the judge's chair and blue carpet lined the floors. The benches for the crowd were dark oak, matching the gate that separated the guests from the real show. I looked around and spotted Flynn right next to me, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Hey," I stood against the back wall next to him. "How are you holding up?" I asked.

He fidgeted, shoving his hands in his pockets grumpily. "Considering that this place is just one massive bad flashback? You tell me…," he said.

"You do look terrible," I agreed, making him glare at me out of the corner of his eye. I pulled the hand closest to me out of his pocket and laced my fingers with his. "I'm here if you need me, Flynn," I gave his hand a squeeze.

"Thanks, Tanner," he looked down at his feet. When he looked up at me, it was like he was seeing me for the first time. "Though, that look is a pretty decent distraction. Not gonna lie, I'm a bit afraid of you in that suit." I started laughing. "Uh, in a good way?"

I patted his shoulder with my other hand. "It's fine. Let's hope it has the same effect on the prosecutor." I gestured for us to take our seats on the bench closest to us.

"By the way," he said as he sat down, "I found Tony Rez."

"Yeah," I turned to him, "I was meaning to ask you about that last night and it totally slipped my mind. Where was he?"

He smirked a bit. "I forgot, too, and I'd just come from there. I guess you're just that distracting." I rolled my eyes. "He was holed up in his crappy apartment."

"What did he say? Do you think he had something to do with Bryce?" I asked at lightning speed.

Flynn shook his head. "He said he didn't… and I believe him. Kid couldn't make a model volcano, much less a massive bomb," he said, lowering his voice as the crowd began to shuffle in from the hall. "Turns out he only dressed up as a waiter to pickpocket the guests."

I nodded. _That sounds about right._ "No wonder he ran when he saw me."

"Probably thought you were after the _highly_ valuable 'diamond' earrings he'd snagged… which were definitely cut glass," he shook his head with a laugh.

"Serves him right," I joked.

When everyone had settled into their seats and we were waiting on the party to show up, Grant came in with Kate. Her head was hanging lower than I'd ever seen it. _Poor girl._ I frowned as I watched them walk passed me. I gave her a quick wave, but she didn't even notice. She looked haunted. "We were supposed to watch her walk down the aisle to be _married_ , not _arraigned_ ," I hissed lowly so only Flynn could hear me.

"I still can't believe this is happening," he frowned next to me.

The chamber doors opened, allowing the judge and bailiff to walk in. We all rose to our feet. "All rise for the honorable Judge Samantha A. Winters," the bailiff announced as a tall slender black woman stepped up to the judge's panel. Her hair was greyed, and her face was stern, like she'd seen more than her fair share of life. "This is a hearing to determine bail for Kathrine O'Malley in the alleged murder of Tanner Sterling."

"You may be seated," Judge Winters said as she sorted out the papers in front of her, resting her gavel on the desk. "Mr. Emerson? Proceed when you're ready," she looked up at him as we all took our seats once more.

Grant stood, looking confident. "Your Honor, Kathrine O'Malley was the victim of a terrible crime, and now she'd being further victimized by false accusations," he began. "Her only real mistake was trusting in Tanner Sterling and the Sterling family, and that mistake has cost her dearly," he continued.

I leaned toward Flynn. "Do you know the prosecutor?" I asked, looking at the cocky fellow smirking up at Grant.

"That's Mac Hornby, Bridgeport's D.A," he whispered back. "Let's just say he's a frequent guest at Sterling garden parties."

"Mr. Hornby, your opening remarks, please," Judge Winters addressed him as Grant took his seat.

He stood and straightened his jacket. "With pleasure, Your Honor," he grinned way too widely. "My colleague paints a pretty picture of innocent, injured Kathrine O'Malley, but the image I _can't_ get out of my head is of Tanner Sterling, his throat slit… by his jealous fiancé." Flynn and I both balled our fists. This was going to be a _long_ hearing. "Her scheming started early. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, always wanting more. Tanner Sterling was an irresistible target," he pursed his lips. _What evidence does he even have for this? None!_ "So, scrappy Kathrine O'Malley did what she's always done best; she started spinning a web of lies, meant to snare the fattest fly in town." _This is so informal… how is he even getting away with this?_

I looked over at Flynn. His face was turning red. I was proud of him for not bursting, but it didn't look good for his health either. I put my hand on his, trying to calm him even a little bit, as he gripped at his slacks. "Easy," I whispered, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand.

"It looked like she had, until the same instinct that saves the gazelle from the lion awoke in Tanner, urging him to run, to get away while he still could," the prosecutor continued. "It started as an affair, but soon, Tanner realized Scarlett Emerson was the woman he was _really_ meant to be with." The whole courtroom gasped. Flynn shook his head, trying his hardest not to set the place on fire. "Here was his perfect woman, the princess he'd _really_ been waiting for, but Kathrine found out that he was planning to take away her fairytale ending," he proceeded through all the murmurs. "So, Tanner had to pay. With his _life_ ," he spat. "But how would she cover her tracks? She'd fall back on the act she'd perfected over the decades: playing the victim," he pointed an accusing finger across to Kate. "Kathrine O'Malley staged her own kidnapping to get away with murder!"

"Jesus, where did they get this guy, the theater club?" I hissed lowly. "He's sticking to Walsh's narrative like it was scripted."

"You mean _Pierce's_ narrative, and that's because it _was_ scripted," Flynn growled next to me.

"Someone that devious is a danger to us all, which is why I request that you remand Kathrine O'Malley without bail until her trial," Hornby wrapped up his opening and sat down.

Grant shook his head in disbelief then cleared his throat. "I'd like to counter the state's arguments with a character witness, if I may," he said. The judge nodded. He called me to the stand. The bailiff swore me in and I took my seat as Grant walked up to me. "Tanner Murphy, how long have you known Katherine O'Malley?"

I had to think for a second. "Almost… eleven years now. We met in college and have been close friends ever since," I said.

"And, tell me, what kind of person is the accused?" he paced a little bit, making me feel a bit intimidated.

I looked over at Kate. She looked defeated and traumatized, which was to be expected. She didn't even look at me. "Kate is… kind to a fault," I smiled weakly. "She never liked to burden her friends with her troubles, and even when she learned that Tanner was cheating, she didn't want to accuse him, not until she was sure," I said. "She always sees the best in people, even when they didn't deserve it. She would _never_ hurt Tanner. She's just not capable of it," I furrowed my brows.

Grant asked me a few more questions, letting me explain to the judge and all those listening who'd been silently, or not so silently, judging her because of some bullshit rumor. I told them of how loyal, gentle, and loving she was, and how much she _loved_ Tanner Sterling.

"No further questions, Your Honor," Grant took his seat.

"The prosecutions may now cross-examine the witness," Judge Winters flipped through her papers as Hornby stood, ready to shoot holes in everything I said.

"Now then, _Tanner Murphy_ ," he seemed to spit my name. "Isn't it true that 'Kate' told you in college she always wanted to land a rich husband?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Kate just wanted to be happy," I said honestly, but before I could add, he jumped on it.

"Right, and she was going to _secure_ that happiness through snagging the richest guy in town, right?" he sneered.

"What? No, she never-," I tried to gather my thoughts. "That's _not_ how it was. She and Tanner loved each other as equals," I started, but he cut me off again.

"But they weren't equals, were they?" he looked around, like he was trying to convince people, but there was no jury to impress… "It must have made Kathrine pretty desperate. She might have gotten a little unstable…," he pulled out of his ass.

"Excuse you," I butted in this time. "Where are you even getting this information?"

"Objection! Leading the witness!" Grant stood, his hands pressed firmly against the table.

"Is there a question here, Mac?" the judge peered down at him.

He paused for a second. "I'll move on, Your Honor." He looked back at me. "Let's change topics, _Tanner_ ," he spat my name again. "Interesting name, by the way. Have you ever _dated_ Ms. O'Malley?"

"What? No," I denied. _She's like a sister to me._

"Objection! Relevance?" Grant stood again.

The judge glared down at Hornby again. "Withdrawn," he put his hand up. "Mr. Murphy, you're here to speak to Kathrine's character, correct?"

"That's right," I nodded.

"And yet, your own character is pretty questionable, isn't it?" he looked up at me, an evil smirk spreading across his face.

"Excuse me?"

"Isn't it true that two years ago, you were arrested and charged with a crime in New York City?" he raised his eyebrow and looked back at Grant, who looked shocked.

"Wait, did you… look into my record?" I was so confused. Was he allowed to do that?

"Just answer the question, yes or no?" his face hardened

"No," I said angrily. "It's true that I was _arrested_ for trespassing while doing my _job_ as a reporter, but the charges were dropped," I explained.

"Is it also true that you've become romantically involved with Kathrine's own brother, Flynn O'Malley?" he added, making my jaw drop.

"How did-," I could feel the eyes on me. I was starting to burn with embarrassment.

"So, you're a criminal! Dating a criminal! And your vouching for _her_ character?" he threw his arm up dramatically. "You're so tangled up with the O'Malleys at this point, you're practically one of them!"

" _Objection_!" Grant hissed. "Badgering the witness!"

Judge Winters shifted in her seat. "Sustained!" she snapped. "I will _not_ let my courtroom become a circus, Mr. Hornby. Consider this your last warning."

"Understood," he nodded, taking a step back from the podium. "No further questions, Your Honor," he said before going to sit down.

I stepped off the stand and took my seat at the back of the room with Flynn, wanting to die. Flynn looked furious. I sat next to him and covered my face with my hands, trying to avoid everyone still staring at me. _That was a disaster. What do I do?_

"That… that was," Flynn growled.

"A mess? Cataclysmic? A complete and total disaster?" I finished for him, mumbling into my hands. He didn't say anything. He just put his hand on my back until I felt ready to sit up again. It wasn't like I was embarrassed by him or anything like that. I just didn't expect it to be brought up in a public hearing… in front of so many people… and Kate… I mean, she knew because I'd mentioned it… but still… Then again, I guess we weren't really subtle with it either, making out at the firework show, riding around town together, holding hands just about anywhere… but still…

Grant called a few more witnesses, but every time they highlighted Kate's wonderful personality, Hornby shot more holes into their words. He might as well have shot us all down with a tommy gun. They weren't even real arguments! Just random shit he came up with after snooping through everybody's files!

Eventually, the proceedings came to a close. After about forty-five minutes of deliberation, the judge called everyone back in. "I must say, this is a difficult case for both sides," she crossed her arms, looking down at her papers. "Mr. Hornby, you're going to have to work hard to convince a jury that this woman, with no criminal history and no record of violence, _not_ _only_ pulled off a premeditated murder, but also staged an incredibly convincing kidnapping," she stared down at him, a stern look in her eye. _Damn straight._ "Mr. Emerson, I'm afraid you have a tough case ahead of you as well. The prosecution has both motive and your client's prints on the murder weapon," she gave him the same look. "Due to the severity of the accusation, and the nature of the evidence in front of me, I'm afraid I must deny bail."

The courtroom irrupted into murmurs and gasps, even some yelling.

"Come on!" Flynn shouted beside me.

Her gavel hit its base only once, but it rang out over the room, causing all of us to shut up. "This hearing is adjourned," was all she said before straightening her papers and leaving the room.

"But- but I-," Kate struggled as Duffy grabbed her arm. Tears streamed down her face as she choked on her words.

"Oh, no, Kate," I sank into the bench. The rest of the crowd had already decided she was guilty. "I can't believe this is happening."

Flynn buried his face in his hands, grabbing at his hair like he was going to pull it out. "Tanner, please keep me from killing that D.A…," his voice was shaking, he was so angry. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my cheek on his shoulder. Eventually, he let out a huge sigh and turned to me, pulling me into a tight hug. It was like he was trying his hardest to ground himself and I was the only thing that could keep him there. I looked up over his shoulder and saw Kate being dragged towards the door by Duffy.

"P-please! I don't want to go back to jail," she cried.

"I'm sorry, Kate," Duffy looked truly sad about all of this. He had the whole time, but when Walsh was around he was such a scared puppy that he was more scared than sad. "I don't have a choice," he frowned.

"I'll be right back, Flynn," I unhooked him from me and jumped up from my seat to get to them.

Kate looked up at me, her eyes pleading for me to do _anything_ to help her. "Tanner, I… I," she choked on her words again.

"I'm sorry, but you can't be here," Duffy tried to shoo me away, but it was impossible with Kate struggling to get away from him.

I furrowed my brows. "Please, Deputy Duffy. Just give us _one_ minute," I pleaded.

He sighed and let go of Kate, holding her only by the arm now. "Fine, but _just one_ , and you can't tell Walsh."

I nodded in appreciation before wrapping my arms around Kate. "How are you?" I wiped the tears from her cheeks and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She sniffled, "Well, my fiancé was killed, and I'm being framed for the murder, so there's a very real possibility of me spending the rest of my life in jail." She ran the back of her hand across her eye. "All things considered, I think I'm doing as well as anyone could be. I mean, I'm not _currently_ sobbing, right?"

I smiled warmly at her. "You look amazing, actually," I caressed her cheek and she leaned into it.

"Thanks, Tan," she finally smiled, "but I have to say, this really isn't how I thought I'd be spending my honeymoon," her brief smile faded.

"Katie, you have to stay strong," I took her hands in mine, giving them a comforting squeeze.

She nodded. "I know, though, for the record, I'd much rather lie in bed screaming into my pillow all day."

"We _will_ get through this," I looked confidently into her eyes. "I promise. Then you can scream into your own fluffy pillow at home all you want."

She laughed weakly. "We'd better because jail pillows _suck_ ," she dragged out the last word. Her eyes darted around my shoulder. I turned to see that she was looking a Flynn, who was glaring at Hornby like his eyes could blow him up if he stared long enough. "Is it bad that I wouldn't mind seeing my brother beat the crap out of that pompous ass?"

I shook my head with a smile. "I think you're entitled to _at least_ that much," I joked.

"I know the circumstances are a little weird, but… I'm glad you two are getting along," she beamed up at me as brightly as she could looking as tired as she did. "He could use a friend like you in his life. We all could."

"Time's almost up, Kate," Duffy warned sympathetically, staring down at his watch.

Kate looked around swiftly then pulled me close to her. "Listen, I've been having dreams about my kidnapping. Random images all mixed up," she whispered urgently. "I remember the room… a man, but his face is a blur, and… something else… something I missed before. A red octopus," she said.

"A what?" I asked, looking down at her, now back in detective mode.

"I know, right? It's weird, but it's this crystal-clear image in my head, and it keeps coming back," she explained. "At first I thought the kidnapper was wearing some red demon mask, but it was an octopus. I'm positive." She frowned. "Do you think it means anything? Could it help somehow?"

I nodded. "Definitely. It's a lead," I gave her a quick smile. "Good job, Katie." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naomi enter the room and start whispering to Grant and Flynn. After they whispered back, her face fell.

Duffy cleared his throat, getting my attention again. He put his other hand on Kate's shoulder. "Time's up," he frowned.

Kate began to cry again as our hands slipped from each other. "Just remember, I won't rest until you're free," I told her before she was dragged away.

"Tan, you're such an amazing friend. I don't know what-," she choked, "I'd do… without you."

"You'll get through this, okay? I'm going to make sure of it," I reached out for her, but Duffy had already started pushing her towards the door. "Stay strong, Katie. We're going to fix this!" I called after her. Before they turned the corner, she flashed me a hopeful smile. When they disappeared down the hall, I felt a void reopen in my chest. I felt my lip twitch as I held a hand to my chest. After I gathered myself, I headed back over to Flynn, Grant, and Naomi.

"I'm so sorry, guys," Grant hung his head. "I let Kate down."

"Don't blame yourself," Flynn snapped. "This entire town, the entire 'justice' system… everything's rigged against people like us," he balled his fists.

"It certainly is as long as Tommy Walsh is in charge," Naomi agreed with the same level of hatred.

I stood next to them, leaning against the bench in front of us and crossing my arms. "I know this was a tough morning, but I think we have an important lead," I said, hoping to grab them out of their emotional states. They were more useful when they weren't depressed or angry. Mission accomplished. They all stared up at me, giving me their undivided attention. "Katie says she remembers something about her kidnapper… a red octopus," I relayed the information.

"Are you… _sure_ that's what she said?" Grant asked, looking really confused.

Naomi put her finger to her chin. "It _is_ a strange detail. Does it mean anything to anyone?" she looked around at us. Grant and Flynn shook their heads.

"Actually," I started, "it reminds me of something… or some _one_ , rather. Nikolai," I said simply.

"Holy crap!" Flynn sat up in his seat. "You're right!"

I nodded. "He has a tattoo on his left arm. A red octopus, right?"

Flynn looked up at me. "Yup. No mistaking it. Good memory, Tanner," he smiled. "Damn."

"Um, sorry, but can someone bring me up to speed?" Naomi asked. "Who exactly is Nikolai?"

Grant leaned forward on the back of the bench Flynn was sitting on. "The lighthouse keeper," he said. "He's a regular down at the docks. Big guy, keeps to himself…," he trailed off in thought.

"And he's rumored to have ties to the Russian mob," Flynn added.

"Wait, are you serious?" Grant looked down at Flynn, stunned.

Flynn nodded. "I always thought he liked Kate, though. He said she was his favorite waitress. He even called her Katerina… Oh, damnit!" he slammed his fist into his leg.

"What?" I asked, a bit thrown by his sudden movement.

"The firework! Our _one_ piece of evidence and we gave it to _him_!" he cursed under his breath. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. _Shit, we did._

"What? Why?" Naomi asked, still as shocked as she'd been this whole time.

"He's an explosives expert," I sighed again. "We wanted to see if it had been sabotaged, and he took it with him…," I trailed off. _He was in such a hurry to get out of there, too. Why didn't I catch it?_

"… to dispose of it," Grant suggested.

"Hold up a minute," Naomi put her hand up, bringing a halt to the rest of the conversation. "Do we believe this Nikolai character would do all this? Kidnap Kate? Kill Bryce and Tanner?"

Flynn and I shared an unknowing look. "Maybe," he gave an irritated shrug.

"But why? What's his motive?" she asked.

I crossed my arms again. "Nikolai has a grudge against the Sterlings," I said bluntly. "He couldn't even mention the Sterlings without sneering. He clearly hates them."

"Okay," she reasoned, "but a lot of people in Bridgeport feel that way about the Sterlings."

I shook my head. "Trust me, it was more than just run-of-the-mill resentment. He truly _hates_ them. He kept telling me and Flynn that they were dangerous and to stay away from them," I chewed the inside of my cheek. "I assumed he was just being protective, but… maybe there's more to it."

"If Nikolai has some vendetta against the Sterlings, he's not gonna stop now," Flynn said.

"You're right," Grant agreed. "Pierce and Margret could be next," he frowned.

Flynn punched himself again. "That lying bastard. He was playing us this whole time!" he growled. "If he hurt Kate, I'm going to kick his ass into next year," he gritted his teeth.

"Slow down there, Flynn," I looked down at him, wanting him to stop hurting himself. "If we jump to conclusions, we're no better than that irritating D.A., Hornby," I said. "We have to find out what really happened."

"Should we… go to Walsh with this?" Grant asked, getting pounded by the backlash of hell no's he should have expected.

"No way in hell. Walsh has made it _very_ clear that his only priority is pinning this on Kate," I hissed. "Who knows what he'd do to cover up the truth… besides, he told me to get out of town. If I confront him about this, I'll probably wind up right next to Katie," I grumbled.

Naomi sighed. "I hate to say it, but I think Tanner's right. We have to go after Nikolai ourselves." She shot a pointed look towards Flynn. "To _interrogate_ him. Verbally. Nothing more," she scolded before he even said anything, but we all knew what he was thinking.

"Fine," he huffed. "We'll do it the boring way."

"Where do we find him?" Grant asked.

Flynn looked out of the window, watching dark clouds gather in the sky. "There's a storm coming. Nikolai should be up in the lighthouse, on the island off the coast," he said, "but my houseboat will never make it out there in this weather," he frowned.

"No, but my speedboat will," Grant grinned proudly.

"You have a speedboat?" I asked, a bit shocked.

He shrugged. "Why would I make that up?"

I laughed. "Well, why am I just now hearing about it?" I joked. _Of course the rich kid has a speedboat._

He hung his head. "I guess I'm kind of… embarrassed by it."

Naomi held a hand up in disbelief. "Why? If _I_ had a speedboat, _everyone_ would know."

"Well," he started, "my father bought it for me when I turned eighteen-"

"Wow, I really feel for you, man," Flynn spat sarcastically. I chuckled.

Grant rolled his eyes. "I get it, poor little rich boy," he mocked. "The thing is, it was his attempt to get me to go into corporate litigation."

"He tried to buy you off?" I asked, not sounding as shocked as I probably should have.

He shook his head. "Not exactly. I think it was more like bait. He was showing me the lifestyle I could have if I chose that route. I mean, it didn't work, obviously… but I didn't see any reason to return the boat," he grinned.

Thunder rang out across the sky, echoing in the courtroom. "If we're doing this, we'd better get a move on before the storm hits," Naomi looked out the window.

"Agreed. Let's go while we still can," I said.

Flynn and I took the bike down to the marina and Grant drove Naomi down. Once we were all there, the four of us made our way towards the smaller section of the docks where smaller boats were parked.

"Lemme guess, your boat's named something slick and modern, right? Like _Razor's Edge_ or _Nightfury_ ," Flynn joked.

" _Sharper Image_ ," Naomi added, giggling.

"Not even close," Grant shook his head with a smile.

"I bet it's _The Grantmobile_ ," I said a bit too bluntly.

Grant looked over his shoulder at me. "… The… Grantmobile? Seriously?"

Naomi cracked. "That's totally it, isn't it? It's the Grantmobile."

"It's not the Grantmobile!" Grant shouted, done with our crap.

Flynn couldn't stop smiling. "Oh wait, and you like… painted it black, but with a glowing yellow gavel symbol on the prow…," he added through chuckles.

"It's a boat, not a car! And anyway, lawyers don't even _use_ gavels," Grant objected, unable to handle us right now.

I had to stop, I was laughing so hard. "Yeah, but you _do_ love justice… being the hero for the little guy…," I couldn't finish.

"It's totally the Grantmobile," Flynn patted my back, laughing just as hard.

"I… hate all of you…," Grant gave up.

When we pulled ourselves together, I asked, "So, what's it really called?"

" _Freedom_ ," he said bluntly.

I sighed. "That's nowhere near as fun as I thought it was going to be."

"I'll admit, that's not half bad," Flynn gave him a smile.

Grant shook his head. "There she is," he pointed to an expensive looking boat with a hardtop roof and blue and red stripes trailing along the sides.

" _Damn_ ," Naomi whistled. "Daddy Emerson was giving you the hard sell, huh?"

Flynn shook his head. "Give me a good motorcycle any day."

"Says the guy that lives on a boat," I jabbed.

Grant rolled his eyes. "My father went the sports car route. Anyway, should we get going? Storm's gonna hit any minute."

I whistled when we all hopped on. The seats were pale leather and _really_ soft. There were cup holders, hidden compartments, and a drink cooler. "This boat is _gorgeous_ ," I said, flopping down into the seat behind the driver's seat.

"Yeah, but all that really matters is what she can do," Flynn slid into the captain's seat, Grant charging after him. _Oh, boy… here we go._

"Seriously? You think I'm going to let you pilot my boat?" Grant snapped.

"Right, like you're going to get us through this," Flynn gestured to the waves that had already started wildly rocking the boats in the harbor.

"I'll say this _once_ ," Grant growled. "Get out of my seat, O'Malley. Now."

"Or what?" Flynn puffed his chest. "You'll throw me overboard? I'd like to see you try."

"Oh my god, are you really doing this right now?" Naomi stepped up. The boys glared at each other as a well-timed flash of lightning ripped through the sky. Seconds later, a roll of thunder shook the boat as much as the waves… _That storm is right over us. We don't have time for this._

"Hey, idiots!" I shouted at them, getting their attention. "We're running out of time! Unless you want to tip before we even make it a few feet away from the docks, I suggest you get your acts together," I scolded. "Flynn, just move. You wouldn't like it if someone else tried to drive your bike, right?"

He snarled, but got up and fell into the seat next to me with a huff, crossing his arms. Grant started the engine and whipped the boat out of the docks before zooming out of the marina so fast that we had to hang on to keep from rolling backwards.

"Jesus, Grant, get passed the end of the docks first!" Naomi yelled, collecting herself and hanging on to the roll bar.

"I've got this!" he shouted back at us.

I leaned forward, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Grant, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing! I'm fine," his actions said otherwise.

"Really?" I asked. "Then what was all that bro-down crap just now? It's out of character for you."

He sighed as we sped off through the rough waves towards the lighthouse. "I'm sorry. It's just… guys like Flynn… they always get to be the heroes," he frowned. "Meanwhile, guys like me grind it out behind the scenes, zero glamour or recognition, and then half the time we fail anyway." I knew this wasn't about being behind the scenes. He'd already told me he enjoyed putting the puzzle together more than finding the pieces. This was about the hearing.

"You're blaming yourself for what happened at Kate's hearing, aren't you?" I asked, feeling bad for him. It wasn't his fault.

"I should have won," he sighed. "We should be celebrating with Kate right now, not out here in a storm."

"No-one wins every time, Grant," I tried to comfort him, but I wasn't sure if it was working.

Finally, he nodded. "You're right. I know you're right…" We passed the marina barriers, pushing from the wild waves into the real storm. Within seconds, a large wave slammed into the side of the boat. Grant was doing everything he could to avoid the worst of them, but we were still getting pelted. _This was a bad idea_.

I looked out over the water, looking for anything. "Over there! The lighthouse!" I pointed passed his head towards the light breaking through the heavy rain. The boat got hit by two waves at once, coming from different directions. I was thrown across the boat into Naomi. "Sorry," I pulled myself off of her and helped her up.

"You need someone to take over up there?" Flynn asked, not as an act of rebellion, but of actual concern for our wellbeing.

"I _got_ this!" Grant yelled over his shoulder.

"Can you even _see_ through this?" I looked over his shoulder, still able to see the lighthouse, but only faintly.

He was quiet for a second. "Not as well as I'd like to… Can you be a second pair of eyes for me?" I nodded and climbed into the seat next to him. It was hard to see enough as it was without the water crashing over us from all sides. He steered the boat up and over the crest of an oncoming wave. "They're coming from everywhere at once!" Grant looked in over his head. I gripped the sidebar to keep myself from bucking out of my seat as another wave crashed into the side of the boat. I huge wave rose up to the right.

"Incoming, starboard!" I yelled. He turned to the left, trying to avoid the wave, but it was too big.

"Guys, I can't get away from this one!" he shouted.

"Everybody hang on!" Flynn darted across the boat, grabbing me and Naomi as we grabbed the sidebars. The wave hit, flipping us over. The boat rolled… maybe twice…

"Tanner!" was the last thing I heard before I found myself under the water. The waves were so strong that I couldn't fight them to swim up to the surface. _Shit, shit, shit_. I struggled, trying desperately to get air. Then I hit something. I don't know what it was, but I blacked out.

"Tanner," a familiar voice called to me. "Tanner!" I opened my eyes, but they burned from the saltwater. Everything was blurry. "Can you move?" I blinked a few more times before coughing up water. Grant was holding me on my side. There was so much pain…

I groaned. "Ungh, my head," I held my palm to my left brow.

"Easy now," he sat me up.

"I wish this shit would stop happening," I tried to stand, but my side was _killing_ me, worse than before.

"Shh, let me help you," Grant helped me to my feet, but I was shaking and couldn't keep my balance. He threw my arm around his shoulders and dragged me up onto the next level of rocks.

"He okay?" I heard Flynn.

"I think so," Grant answered. "Alive anyway. Where's Naomi?"

"Don't worry, she's just fine," Flynn said. "Actually, she's the one who helped _me_ out."

Grant set me down on a flat rock. "I don't feel…," I started, not sure whether I should be more concerned about my splitting headache or how badly my chest hurt. _This was a stupid idea._

Flynn sat next to me, looking me over, as Grant went to see Naomi. "You're not bleeding, at least," he said, removing my hand from my head. "That'll bruise though," he added as I winced beneath his touch.

"How are you? How's your shoulder?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he gave me a fake smile. "How's your…," he looked down at the hand that was gripping at my chest. "Shit," he whispered.

"That doesn't sound good," I tried to joke, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open and it hurt to breathe.

"I was hoping the radio on the boat still worked, but no dice," Naomi's voice broke through the crashing waves. "How is everyone?"

There was a long silence. "So we have no way to call for help," Grant sounded hopeless.

"I don't want to say 'I told you so', but," Flynn snapped.

"I know, I'm sorry," Grant was utterly defeated.

"We made it to the island, and we're alive. That's a win in my book," Naomi said. She could always find the silver-lining.

I rubbed at my eyes and looked around. The light from the lighthouse was circling directly above our heads. "Can I go on record with how ominous this situation is?"

"Noted, and seconded," Grant agreed with me.

I tried to stand back up, using a nearby rock as a crutch. Flynn caught me when I wobbled again, but he held me up. "We should at least do what we came here to do," I grimaced when my head pounded again.

"Are you up for it?" Naomi asked, her face finally visible to me. She looked very concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. "I'll just be behind the rest of you… watching your backs," I added, trying to joke away the pain.

"Alright, you heard him," Flynn looked angry. "Let's go find Nikolai."

We climbed up to the lighthouse, pausing near a power station hut. The mural on the side… a large red octopus… caught my attention.

"Gonna make a wild guess that we've found our guy," Naomi said.

Flynn shook his head next to me. "I didn't know Nikolai that well, but I always thought he was basically decent, not some nut."

I nodded in agreement. "He seemed like a nice enough guy. What do you think the red octopus means?"

"No idea," he frowned. "I always thought it was some cool Russian sailor thing."

"I worked a few cases against Eastern European syndicates," Grant said. "They were smuggling contraband into the U.S. Drugs mostly, and guns," he explained. "They used symbols like this all the time."

"Whatever it is, it's obviously deeply meaningful to him," Naomi deduced.

We reached the entrance to the lighthouse and opened the door, surprised that it wasn't locked. The inside was very bright. It took my eyes time to adjust, but when they did, I saw a rickety wooden staircase spiraling up into the darkness above us. "Going to the creepy old lighthouse to confront the possibly homicidal Russian mobster seemed like such a good idea an hour ago…," I sighed, holding my arm close to my chest.

"Getting cold feet?" Flynn teased next to me.

"I'm wet and it's windy as hell, Flynn. Of course, I'm cold," I joked. "But… Naomi," I looked over my shoulder, "I don't suppose you've got your gun?"

She shook her head. "I had to give it back when Walsh took my badge," she explained. "But don't worry. There's four of us and one of him, and we're only here to talk."

"That's reassuring," I sighed sarcastically.

"I'm sure he'll definitely see it that way," Grant sounded as worried as I was.

The stairs were only wide enough for one person to climb at a time. Flynn led the charge, followed closely by Grant. I was going to trail behind, since it was going to take me longer to get up there, but Naomi insisted on me going ahead of her. I took a deep breath and started hobbling up the stairs. A second octopus mural was painted onto the wall, its tentacles splaying out as if to grab anyone who wandered up these stairs.

"Okay, this has officially crossed over into obsession," Naomi gasped behind me.

"It's starting to feel like some weird cult thing," Flynn added.

I took another step, leaning heavily on the wooden railing. "Let's all just…," I coughed weakly, "stay focused."

We climbed until we found a locked door right off the stairwell. Flynn pressed his eye to the keyhole. "Looks like Nikolai's office. I see a lot of personal stuff. Photos, a couple of books," he described for us.

"There might be a clue in there!" Grant tapped Flynn's shoulder to let him see.

Flynn stood up as Grant bent down to peer through the hole. "Not to mention that firework we gave him." When Grant was done looking, Flynn rammed his shoulder into the door, making it creak on its hinges. "I could probably bust this open," he gave it a quick look over. We all nodded in agreement. He shoved his shoulder into the door again, but nothing different happened.

"Looks like you're the one who needs a hand now," Grant smirked.

"You wanna try, Ivy League?" Flynn spat.

"Gladly," Grant did the exact same thing, but nothing happened.

"With a nickname like Ivy League, you'd think you might have come up with something other than brute force," I joked. They both glared back at me, making me laugh, which hurt, before ramming both of their shoulders into the door at the same time.

"Damn, that thing is _sturdy_ ," Flynn tried to catch his balance upon the recoil.

"Alright, boys," Naomi squeezed passed me and joined them. "On three. One… two…," on three they shoved their bodies into the door, continuing to push. Wood began to splinter and the door fell away from its hinges.

"Yay, teamwork," I chuckled just before the tumbled into the office, scrambling against each other to avoid falling onto the floor with the door.

The office was cluttered. Random papers and photos were strewn everywhere, but there were stranger items mixed in: a steel bear trap, a violin, and dozens of empty beer and liquor bottles.

"Oof, this place is depressing," Grant straightened his shirt.

I leaned against the doorframe. "He just… lives up here? Alone?" I couldn't believe someone could live like that. It was a very lonely existence.

"All these bottles and he _still_ come into the bar," Flynn kicked a Smirnoff bottle and it rolled across the floor, scaring some insects out of the corner.

"Guys, look at this!" Naomi pointed to a stack of photos on the desk. Polaroids from the 80's of some friends hanging out. I looked closer at the photo.

"Is that who I think it is?" Flynn asked, looking over at Grant.

He nodded. "Yup. Margret and Pierce Sterling, in their younger days…," the both cocked their heads at the image.

"And that's Nikolai with them," I pointed to the tall man with the beard in the picture, noticing the same tattoo on his left arm.

"I guess he's lived in Bridgeport longer than I thought," Flynn trailed off. "They sure look friendly. How is it that everything in this town always comes back to the Sterlings?"

I shrugged. "I mean, they do sort of own the town," I started. "Grant, you know them better than we do. Does this make any sense to you?"

He shook his head. "No. Not even a little. I know a lot about the Sterlings, but I've never heard of them being friends with Nikolai."

"Makes sense," Flynn growled. "The town's richest couple hob-nobbing with the surly docks drunk? Wouldn't want _that_ to get out."

"If he's kept this photo for so long, it must mean a lot to him," Naomi deduced.

"I don't get it," I stared down at the photo, confused. "If he was their friend… Why would he kill their sons and kidnap Kate? And why does he hate them so much?"

"We need to think through this logically," Grant said. "What are the possibilities here?"

I shrugged, throwing out an idea. "Maybe he's settling an old grudge?" I suggested. "The three of them clearly _used_ to be friends, but they definitely aren't now. Something must have happened between them." I gasped at my own thoughts. "Maybe this is revenge for whatever happened all those years ago."

"Sounds plausible, but what would have ended their friendship spectacularly enough to warrant revenge?" Grant asked.

"Maybe jealousy? Margret and Pierce lived a life of wealth and luxury…," I started.

"… and Nikolai lived _here_ ," Flynn finished for me. "Who wouldn't be jealous?"

"Guys, you need to see these," Naomi held up another stack of photos, much more recent.

I shuttered a bit. "The only person in all of these is Margret."

"It looks like they were taken from the woods behind Sterling Manor," Flynn pointed out the angle of most of the shots.

"I'd bet money the photographer used a telephoto lens, so he could take them from a distance," Grant flipped through the photos, stopping on one with Margret looking out of the window.

"She has no idea she's being photographed," I said.

"Apparently octopi aren't his only obsession," Naomi's lip curled in disgust.

"Naomi!" a thought flashed through my mind. "Remember the cabin we saw in the woods? With the Russian carving?" I went to pull out my phone and frowned immediately, realizing that it was gone. _It must have fallen out while I was overboard._

"Oh my god, do you think he was hiding out there?" she asked, even more disgusted. "Watching them?"

I nodded. "Judging by all these pictures of Margret, yes. Yes I do."

"Unbelievable," Flynn scoffed.

"But why would he hurt her sons?" I asked. _If he had a thing for her, like I suspect…_

He looked away. "Just spitballing, here, but maybe… because they weren't his?" He looked around the room at the rest of the clutter. "I remember reading somewhere that when male lions take over a pride, the first thing they do is kill the cubs, and Nikolai definitely has more than a little 'wild' in him."

"You really think this could all be fueled by something as simple as jealousy?" I felt disgusted. "Some twisted response to a broken heart?"

"Or a broken mind," Grant added.

"Really wishing I still had my sidearm right about now," Naomi grimaced and put the photos back down.

"This is all fascinating, but there's no sign of the firework… or Nikolai," Grant pointed out.

I nodded. "Emerson's right. We should head upstairs."

The stairs only seemed to get ricketier as we climbed. We must have been… three stories up at this point. The stairs creaked beneath us and the railing became shaky. I looked down, noticing a whole in one of the steps. I started feeling light headed. "Now probably isn't the best time to mention how shit terrified of heights I am…," I tried to look up, but I was worried about where my feet were. Both options were terrible. While I was looking up, I kicked… something… making it fall through the gap in the stairs and ricochet against the wall before it clattered to the ground. "Dear god." I was frozen. The world seemed to spin as I stared down at my feet, which didn't help with my headache.

"I've got you, Tanner. You're fine," Naomi put a hand on my back, coaxing me to continue. I took a deep breath… or as deep as I could… and closed my eyes, imagining that everything was fine, which it was, but I had to get my thoughts back on track. "You can do this," she whispered encouragingly.

"Right," I mumbled to myself. "I got this." I took another step forward. _If I just keep going, I'll make it. Just don't stop._ Finally, the steps ended, leaving us in a small white room. We were momentarily blinded as we realized that we'd reached the light in the top of the lighthouse. The enormous Fresnel lens spun, skipping across the choppy waters below. "Wow, I've never seen one of these up close-," I started, but I was cut off by a deep, booming voice.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" Nikolai was standing right in front of us, but we couldn't see him until our eyes adjusted. He was holding a hunting rifle… aimed at us. "You break into my house?" he yelled.

"Nikolai, you son-of-a-bitch!" Flynn started towards him, but the rifle turned its focus to his stomach. "You hurt Kate, now I'm gonna hurt you," he didn't seem to notice.

"Flynn, no!" I shouted after him, my voice echoing around the room. Flynn stopped just short of the gun, looking down… suddenly less confident.

"You do not know what you are talking about, boy," Nikolai barked, swaying from side to side on his feet. He was clearly drunk. After Flynn raised his hands and took a step back, Nikolai lowered the rifle.

"Mr. Petrov, please… let's talk this through. No-one wants to do anything rash," Grant put his hands up, trying to calm the big guy down.

"This is all your fault. All of you!" he glared between me and Flynn. "Did I not tell you to stay away from the Sterlings?"

I nodded. "You did, but you never told us _why_ ," I took a step to the side, trying to make eye contact with him around the light.

"How do you know them? What aren't you telling us?" Naomi began interrogating.

"We worked together long ago, me and the Sterlings," Nikolai's lip twitched up in a snarl. "If you want to call it that." He shook his head. "You cannot imagine. You just… cannot." He raised his rifle again, pointing it back at Flynn.

"Nikolai, please," I took another step forward, ready to push Flynn out of the way if talking this out didn't work. "I understand you," I looked deeply into his eyes.

"What is this you say?" he let an angry laugh out. "This must be joke. Nobody understands," he held the gun tighter.

"Just… Give me a chance," I lowered my head. I had to approach this carefully. "Tell me what really happened."

He looked sad suddenly. "A lifetime happened. A lifetime of piss and blood. And now? Now I have nothing," his hands began to tremble. "You don't understand! None of you understand. You think you look at a man?" he asked, anger brushing back across his face.

"Yes?" Grant answered, a bit confused.

"No! I am no man. Not after what I've done!" his face fell. "Not after all the harm I have caused."

Lightning flashed in the distance, showing off yet another octopus mural behind him, grasping along the walls. Suddenly, a thought hit me.

"Nikolai, does the red octopus represent your past?" I asked. "Chasing you, hunting you, never letting you go," I frowned sympathetically. "You draw it because you can't escape it, can you? The octopus is your pain," I said, finally understanding.

"And my guilt," his face dropped as his eyes met mine. "The guilt that won't… can't… let me go." He looked down, his chest heaving, hands trembling as he lowered the gun.

"That's it, Nikolai. Put the gun down," I encouraged.

"We can talk this through," Grant added.

"No-one has to get hurt," Naomi said.

"I-I'm sorry, my friends. I don't mean to scare you," he sighed. "It's all just… so complicated… I just… I…"

A loud bang echoed through the small room, making all of us jump. My ears were ringing. I looked down, but the shot didn't come from the rifle… Nikolai spat blood out of his mouth, a hole of red through his left shoulder. "Oh my god, Nikolai!" I rushed over to him, catching him as he fell to his knees.

"Who the hell?" Grant spun around to find a young man standing in the doorway, a stunned look on his face… a smoking revolver in his hand…

"Duffy?!" Naomi shouted in disbelief.

"I-I had to shoot him… he was… pointing that gun at you…," Duffy stuttered. "Oh god… oh god… what have I done?" he muttered to himself.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naomi scowled.

"The- the marina called us… with a report about a joyrider ignoring the wake signs…," he started. "Chief sent me to check it out… I'm gonna be sick," he put a hand over his mouth.

"We don't have time for this!" I shouted, looking down at Nikolai's blood soaked shirt.

"Under the bed… she keeps it… under the bed…," Nikolai sputtered, blood dribbling out of his mouth as he spoke.

I shushed him. "Hold on. You can tell us later."

He reached up to me, his hand trembling. "I am… sorry…"

I scowled. "Duffy, call the paramedics! He's going to die!" I shouted over my shoulder.

Duffy turned to speak into his radio, his eyes wide with shock. "I… I need… oh god…," he started, but couldn't finish.

"They won't get here in time," Naomi frowned.

I held my hands over the whole in Nikolai's chest, pushing my bodyweight into him. "Somebody!" I barked, "Give me your shirt!" Flynn was closest and stripped his shirt faster than anyone else could think, tossing it to me. I bunched it up and held it under my hands, still applying the same amount of pressure.

"Looks like you've done this before," Flynn knelt on the other side of Nikolai.

I frowned. "I have, but never for a gunshot…"

"I hope the paramedics get here soon," his brow furrowed.

"Nikolai," I called down to him, trying to keep him engaged. "Can you sit up?" He made a choking noise. "Flynn, help me roll him on his side!" we rolled him over, allowing the blood to clear his windpipe. "We need to get him to sit up…. So the wound is above his heart," I said and Flynn helped me pull him up while I kept pressure on the shirt.

"Why save me? I… should die," Nikolai sputtered.

"Not until we get answers," Flynn grunted as he held Nikolai's heavy body up until we could lean him against the base of the light. I gave Flynn a pointed look. Now wasn't the time for that. Flynn's shoulders shook a bit.

"Flynn, you're freezing," I frowned, feeling guilty for using his shirt.

"I'm fine," he lied. Holding one hand on the wound, I raised my other arm, encouraging Flynn to come closer. He did without a word, practically admitting his lie. I rubbed his arm.

"Th… There," Nikolai pointed weakly under the lens. There was a wooden, hand carved octopus.

"There's something written on the bottom of it," I flipped it over. "A name? Looks like 'Taylor Acosta'. What does this mean, Nikolai?" His expression was distant… for a second, I thought he'd lost consciousness. "Stay with us," I snapped in front of his face. If he passed out, it'd be harder to keep him alive. He nodded, but didn't speak for quite some time. "Hold this," I instructed Flynn to keep the pressure on the wound. I pulled off my blazer, ripping the sleeves off of it to tie down the compress. He was pale and barely responding to anything. "You with me, Nikolai?"

"I… I… listen," he spoke just above a whisper. I leaned in to tie my sleeves around his shoulder. "Still alive… still… alive," he said before slumping over, completely unconscious.

Naomi leaned down and pressed a finger to his neck. "He's out, but he's alive."

"You… you saved his life, Tanner," Grant stuttered, finally coming out of his shock.

"Yeah, but was it worth it?" Flynn asked.

I put my arm out again, letting him lean into me. My shirt was still wet, but I was warmer than the wind. "How did it come to this?"

Grant put his hand on my shoulder. "This was supposed to be a vacation for you, a fun time to catch up with an old friend."

I shook my head. "It stopped being that a long time ago. If Nikolai doesn't make it, we may lose our last chance to clear Kate's name."

Flynn glared at Duffy. "All because this bumbling idiot got trigger-happy," he growled.

"I saved your lives!" Duffy shouted back, obviously trying to rationalize this whole thing. "And for the record, I feel so bad I'm gonna puke!"

"We were handling it! At least until you showed up," Flynn hissed back.

I rubbed his arm again. "Flynn, I know you're angry, but this isn't helping…" I was starting to feel faint myself. I was incredibly light headed.

"Duffy did the best he could," Naomi frowned.

Flynn crossed his arms angrily and stared out towards the water. "Yeah, well I hope that helps him sleep at night. Me… I wanna know what the hell we do now," his frown was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I woke up briefly in the back of an ambulance. I took the mask off my face and tried to sit up, grunting with my hand to my side. I could hear sirens and urgent voices around the van. When my eyes stopped hurting, I saw Duffy sitting on the bumper, his hands trembling. "God…," I sat on the bumper next to him.

"What are you doing?" Naomi rushed over to me. "You shouldn't be up," she kneeled in front of me, noticing me favoring my side. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I guess," I shrugged. "I just… can't believe what just happened." I saw some lights disappearing over the hill. "Was that…"

She smiled after looking over her shoulder. "You saved Nikolai's life. You should feel like a hero."

"I _feel_ like I've been hit by a bus," I joked. "I was running on pure instinct anyway. Adrenaline kicked in and I just did it, but…," my face fell, "if he really was the one who did it, killed Tanner and Bryce, and kidnapped Kate… then all I did was save a murderer."

"You still did the right thing," she put her hand on my thigh.

"I know, and I'd do it again… it's just all so complicated," I frowned.

"Seeing a guy shot right in front of you… of course you're shaken up," Flynn walked over and sat beside me, shooing Duffy away from the ambulance. He wrapped his arm around me. Grant ran over when he was done helping people. "You look… chipper," Flynn looked up at him.

"I know this might come off a little… strange, considering everything that's happened," Grant started, "but I have good news."

I perked up. "Really? What?"

"Duffy collected all the evidence we found back there, like all those photos of the Sterlings," he explained. "And while he was up there, he found this," he held out a small plastic bag. Inside was tangled up red leather… an octopus mask…

"What the hell?" Flynn snatched it from Grant's hand, looking it over.

"Kate couldn't remember her kidnapper's face, but she _did_ remember a red octopus mask," Grant said proudly. "I mean, it adds up, right?"

Flynn handed it back. "Two plus two equals our killer," he agreed. "But am I missing something? This is good news because…"

Grant shoved his hands in his pockets when Naomi took the bag from him. "Because no matter how much Hornby preens and struts, there's no way Judge Winters will ignore this," he beamed. "With this evidence, I'll be able to clear Kate's name in no time!"

"What about Walsh?" Flynn asked the real question. "Won't he… I don't know… pull some crap to screw this up for us?"

Grant narrowed his eyes. "Let him try. With all the evidence we have now, any jury would see that Nikolai killed the Sterling brothers, not Kate."

"You have a point there," Naomi agreed, but didn't seem as enthusiastic. I wasn't either. It felt like something was still missing.

"What's wrong, Naomi? You don't seem excited," I pointed out, wondering if she had the same feeling I did.

She shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know… something about this just feels… off to me," she said. "Be honest, Tanner. Do you really believe Nikolai did this?"

I shook my head. "No…"

"Seriously?" Flynn looked over at me.

"I'm pretty good at reading people. I've done a lot of field research where things were deeper than they appeared," I explained. "I'm with Naomi on this one. I can't shake the feeling that there's more to the story. Like, why would Nikolai go out of his way to tell us to watch our steps and stay out of trouble if he was the one behind it the whole time? You saw how guilty he felt up there. If he felt that bad after one son, why would he kill the other?"

"Even if there is more to the story, we _have_ to use this. For Kate," Flynn stared sternly into my eyes.

"I know that," I admitted. "Of course, I know that, but…," I trailed off. "Wait, we're forgetting something important. The stuff Nikolai said up there, about his past and the things he'd done? And something about 'she keeps it under the bed'? And just before he passed out, he said 'still alive'. I don't think he was talking about himself," I argued.

"So he had some secrets. So what?" Flynn shrugged, a bit annoyed.

Grant nodded. "I hear you, Tanner. There's definitely more to Nikolai's story… but for now, the evidence is pointing at him, and its enough to get Kate out. I think we need to focus on that." _I know… I want Kate out, too, but I don't want to put an innocent man in jail to do it…_

"The good news is, if there's more to the story, we've got plenty of time to dig it up," Naomi put her hand on my leg again, looking up at me. "It'll be months until he's well enough to stand trial." I was like she could read my thoughts.

"If you can really get Kate out on bail, Grant, you might be my new best friend," Flynn looked up at him.

"Don't celebrate yet. We still have the actual hearing to get through," Grant crossed his arms. "Luckily, I already called Judge Winters and she agreed to convene an emergency session tomorrow," he grinned.

"Wow, that must have taken some serious convincing," I raised my eyebrows at him, curious to find out what he had to do for it.

He paused for a second. "It did… but it was worth it."

"Wait, tomorrow?" Naomi stood up and turned to him. "As in like… six hours from now?"

I frowned. "We should get some sleep, or at least _try_ to," I suggested, trying to pull myself up, using the door of the van.

Flynn stood up and pushed me back down onto the bumper. " _We_ will," he started, "but _you_ need to go to the hospital."

I now knew what he felt like after the car accident. "Fine," I gave in, "but only if you come with me."

He grinned lightly. "My pleasure," he helped me back into the ambulance as the EMTs ran back over to settle me back onto the bed, which I hated. It wasn't _that_ bad. We said goodnight to Naomi and Grant before the doors closed and we were pulled down the street.

"I think I'm going to take a break from dangerous, body-harming adventures for a while after this," I joked.

He smiled. "That might be a good idea for both of us," he took my hand. "Hell of a day, huh?" he sighed.

"You can say that again," I laid my head back and stared up at the roof. "I still can't believe this all happened in just one day. I mean… a man got shot… How are you so unphased by this?"

He frowned, putting his other hand over the hand he was holding. "I've seen someone get shot before. A guy grabbed a guard's gun and tried to take some hostages," he explained, tracing his thumb over my fingers. "One of the guard tower snipers took him out. It wasn't pretty."

I shivered a bit. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forget it." The image replayed in my mind.

"You won't, but it will… fade eventually," he comforted.

"First Tanner, then Bryce, now Nikolai… I hope no-one else gets hurt," I closed my eyes, praying that whatever god or deity was up there would hear me. "You seem pretty sure he did it," I tilted my head to look at him. His face was shrouded in darkness, the passing streetlights through the window only lighting his features for a few seconds at a time.

"Yeah, but if I'm being totally honest with myself, I might just _want_ to believe that. It's easier having someone specific to be mad at," he frowned. "Besides, if I let myself believe he _didn't_ do it, that Kate's kidnapper is still out there…," he trailed off.

I squeezed his hand. "If that's true, we'll track him down, too," I smiled up at him. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the four of us kind of suck at giving up, even when our safety is compromised."

He shook his head, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "It's weird. I've never been a glass-half-full kinda guy, but with you around… I don't know. Things feel… better. Like we can conquer anything in our way… together." His eyes seemed to glow down at me through the darkness. "Thank you for that, Tanner. You can't imagine how much it means to me."

It wasn't long before we were at the hospital. I was about to be carted into the E.R. and they told him he had to wait or go home. I reached out for him. "Get some sleep," I smiled. "Come get me before her hearing tomorrow. I don't want to miss it."

He smirked. "What if the hospital won't let you come with me?"

"Break me out, duh," I joked. "And bring coffee," I smiled as they wheeled me passed the doors. He laughed, waving at me before shoving his hands in his pockets.

After an hour or so in the E.R., the doctor that I'd had not two days before came in, pursing her lips when she saw me. She scolded me for not taking her advice to 'take it easy', and practically insulted me in the kindest way I'd ever heard. She said two of my ribs on my right side were broken in two different places, causing them to sort of 'float'. If I didn't take it easy for the next few days, she said I could cause some major problems. I was told to stay overnight for two nights, but I'd expected Flynn to be there the next morning. The whole time I was in the room, I was on a breather, making sure that my lungs were inflating correctly. The image they'd taken of my chest came back with good results. I didn't have any internal bleeding… yet… and my lungs weren't showing any signs of injury. The doc basically just told me to avoid shallow breathing and make sure to cough every hour or so to avoid pneumonia, which can apparently happen if you don't breathe correctly.

The next morning, I woke up to a nurse telling me I had a visitor. I took the mask off and shoved it to the far side of the table before Flynn walked in. "Hey, sleepyhead," he grinned. "I brought coffee, as promised."

I smiled. "My hero."

"Uh," he laid some clothes by my feet. "I stopped by the B-and-B to pick up some clothes for you, but Ms. Harlenay just passed me this from behind the counter," he furrowed his brow. "I was going to ask about it, but she went off about a girlfriend she used to have and… I had to get out of there," he shook his head like he was trying to get the vivid image she painted out.

I laughed. "Yeah, she does that. Thank you," I reached out for his hand. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually try to bail me out."

He smirked. "Of course, I would. We're partners in crime, aren't we?"

I nodded. "Absolutely." I looked him over. "Have I ever mentioned you clean up nicely?"

"Once or twice," he smiled. "C'mon. We have to ditch out of here before they tell me to leave."

I got dressed quickly and gave my hair a quick comb-through at the sink. I looked presentable. The suit Ms. Harlenay had picked out was fantastic. It was dark brown with a blue shirt, and a dark tie. I felt bad for ruining the last suit she'd given me… and my own suit… Clothes just weren't working out for me… or cars… or boats…

"Are we doing this or what?" I ducked out of the room, looking suave and holding my coffee, and looked down the hall.

Flynn couldn't stop staring. "She does have nice taste after all," he looked impressed.

I rolled my eyes. "No time for gawking," I teased, giving him a push down the hallway.

We made it into the courtroom just before the trial started. Kate was at the defense table next to Grant. I waved briefly, and she smiled back at me.

"Over here!" Naomi whispered, waving her hand at us. We slid into the seats she'd saved for us. I looked around, spotting D.A. Hornby scowling like there was no tomorrow. Walsh sat just behind him, beet red.

"Okay, Emerson, what's good enough to bring us all here at 7am?" Judge Winters narrowed her eyes down at him, looking hopeful through her sternness.

Grant stood up. "Your Honor, in light of startling new evidence discovered last night, I'd ask you to reconsider your ruling on Kathrine O'Malley's bail," he started. "I'd like to call Deputy Jeff Duffy to the stand to help give that evidence the proper context."

The judge nodded. "I'll allow it, with great and abiding curiosity, Mr. Emerson."

A trembling Duffy shuffled towards the witness box, reluctantly raising his hand for his swearing-in.

"Deputy," Grant walked up to him, "could you please tell the court what happened last night at the Bridgeport Lighthouse?"

"Certainly, sir," he nodded, unsure. "I mean Grant… uh… Mr. Emerson," he stuttered. I felt bad for him. _I don't even want to know what hell Walsh put him through last night._

"Just pick one!" Walsh screamed.

"Order in the courtroom!" Judge Winters slammed her gavel onto her desk.

"Right, sorry, Your Honor," Walsh looked completely thrown off.

"Yeah. S… sorry," Duffy apologized, too.

I shook my head. "I actually feel bad for Duffy," I whispered.

"Me, too," Naomi agreed. "He's always been his own worst enemy, but at least most of his screwups are private."

I frowned sympathetically. "Not this one…"

"He doesn't have any friends or family," Naomi whispered sadly. "He's all alone. I mean, look around the gallery. Is there anyone here for _him_?"

"I guess not," I shrugged.

"Deputy Duffy," Grant continued. "Can you tell us what happened last night?"

Duffy nodded. "I had a report of a boat driving recklessly in the storm, so I went out to investigate it," he began. "When I arrived, I found Nikolai Petrov intoxicated, pointing a gun at… well, _you_ , Flynn O'Malley, Naomi Silverhawk, and Tanner Murphy," he frowned at the memory, his hands beginning to shake. "I believed you all to be in immediate danger… so I shot Petrov." Gasps rang out around the courtroom. Walsh let out a long, disappointed sigh. "But it wasn't fatal!" he added. "I mean, I did what I had to do, but you never want to kill anyone, you know?"

Grant nodded. "Of course. Which is why I want to personally thank you, Deputy. You were a true hero last night," he grinned.

Flynn tugged my sleeve. "Grant's laying it on a little thick, don't you think?"

"Just a bit," I agreed.

"Mr. Emerson, as interesting as this all is, I fail to see the relevance to Katherine O'Malley's incarceration," Judge Winters glared down at him.

Grant nodded again. "As an eyewitness to last night's events, it is my assertion that Nikolai Petrov is guilty of the murders of Bryce and Tanner Sterling, and that he kidnapped Katherine O'Malley," he said. A bad feeling grew in the pit of my stomach as murmurs spread around the gallery. "Your Honor, I'd like to introduce Exhibit A into evidence," Grant clicked a remote and the screen at the far end of the courtroom flickered on, revealing the red octopus mask. "This mask was found in the lighthouse. Katherine O'Malley testified prior to its discovery that she recalled a red octopus in connection with her kidnapping," he looked around, letting the picture be seen by all those who chose to look. "I'm happy to call her to the stand to confirm this, but I'd like to introduce her sworn statement as Exhibit B." He walked up to the judge and handed her a slip of paper. She looked it over, clearly interested.

"Do you think Judge Winters will buy this?" Flynn whispered.

I shrugged. "I dunno… maybe? Like Emerson said, it's enough to cast reasonable doubt… On the other hand, we only have Kate's word about the octopus."

"Let's hope she thinks that's enough," he took my hand.

The judge took her time examining the picture of the mask and the sworn statement. The room was tense, everyone waiting for her word. Finally, she looked up. "I'll need twenty-four hours to review the evidence and come to a decision," she said. "This hearing is adjourned until 3pm tomorrow." With a bang of her gavel, that was it.

Naomi nudged me, smiling. "I think Kate's going to get bail."

"Really? How can you tell?" I asked, not trusting many of the people I'd met in this town.

"Winters is a good judge," she said. "She's tough, but fair. My hunch is she always wanted to grant bail, but she needed a good excuse."

"I hope you're right," Flynn looked over me towards her.

When the crowd cleared out a bit, we made our way up too the defense table.

"How're you holding up, Katie-bear?" I asked, sad that she had to spend another night in a cell.

She walked over to us. "I'm alright. It's just a lot to take in," she said. "Nikolai always seemed like such a nice guy. He tipped well, never got handsy… it's hard to believe he could do this."

I sighed. "True, but it seems you can't trust _anyone_."

"That's not true!" she gasped, grabbing my hands. "I trust you, and Grant, Flynn, and Naomi… You've all been here for me through this, and I'm incredibly grateful," she beamed. "But on the bright side, it looks like I might get bail after all. I can't wait to be back in my own apartment, to sleep in my own bed… and to poor myself one hell of a drink."

Flynn and I looked guiltily at each other. We hadn't told her that we'd messed up her apartment… I couldn't even imagine how that storm affected her living room…

"With any luck, we'll be buying you that drink before you know it," Grant patted her on the shoulder.

Kate gave everyone hugs and said her goodbyes before the bailiff led her out of the room.

"So, I guess the only thing left to do… is wait?" Naomi asked.

Flynn nodded. "This is going to be a long twenty-four hours."

"I suppose I could use the time to polish my resume," Naomi frowned.

"You do that. I've got people to see," Flynn looked angry again. Before I could ask, he and Naomi left, leaving me and Grant alone in the empty courtroom.

I turned to him. "I've got to take it easy myself. Doc says I shouldn't even _think_ about jumping out of planes any time soon," I chuckled. "Thank you for everything, Emerson. You're a damn good lawyer."

"I like to think so," he beamed. "Listen, I don't know if you have plans, but my family owns a cabin out on St. Louie Island. I was going to head out there to unwind a little… I was wondering if you'd want to come with me? It'd be perfect for resting up a bit," he gestured to my torso.

I laughed. "Grant Emerson, is this a date?" I teased.

"What? No, just two friends hanging out," he was so fun to make fun of.

"As much as I'd love to be at the beach right now, I think I'm going to have to politely decline," I gave him a sad smile. "After yesterday, the idea of being on a boat doesn't sound as pleasant. Give me a week and I'll take you up on that."

He waved it off. "That's perfectly understandable. What will you do instead?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, the nurse will be pretty upset that Flynn snuck me out, but I think I'll just take the day to relax, have a long bath, drink some wine," I nodded to myself.

"That sounds pretty good, too," he smiled.

After a little while, we said our goodbyes. I headed to a restaurant near the courthouse for lunch. It was a cute little Italian restaurant that had _very_ good shrimp alfredo. After that, I remembered that I didn't have a phone. I stopped by the local store for my service plan and managed to wrangle a new one. Luckily, my phone backed itself up the day after I got to Bridgeport, so _most_ of the numbers I'd needed were still in my contact book, but all of my pictures and recent conversations were lost. On the up side, I had a phone with the same number as before, so I could still get in contact with people if I needed to.

It only took a minute before the texts I'd missed had come rolling in. One was from my editor, upset that I'd missed his call. Two were from my sister, showing me what my niece and nephew were up to. It made me smile. I called them both back as I walked down towards the B-and-B to get changed into something more casual and thank Ms. Harlenay for the suit. My sister and I had a long conversation. We hadn't had that in a long time. It was nice to hear from her. When I told her what had happened, she lost her mind, worrying about me hurting myself, the corrupt justice system, and her concern for Kate. All-in-all, it was a good conversation.

I picked up some clothes and something to eat before heading back to the hospital. It was much nicer being in jeans than in a suit, no matter how dapper the suit was. The nurse was pretty upset with me for leaving. She scolded me and told me to stay in bed, since I was so accident prone. I laughed, but did as I was told. After another night of rest, I felt much better. I signed my discharge paperwork and picked up my new prescriptions before leaving to go back to the B-and-B.

"What're you doing here?" I smiled when I saw Flynn on the curb.

"I wanted to talk," he said, a bit more serious than I'd have liked. "Last night, I couldn't sleep," he crossed his arms. "I just kept thinking about Nikolai and how he's connected to the Sterlings," he fidgeted. "What he said… it just didn't add up," he tapped his foot.

"What do you mean?" I asked, walking closer to him.

"Nikolai clearly knew the Sterlings pretty well, but I know everyone who works the docks. None of them remembered him ever being around," he chewed the inside of his lip. "And that picture of them together? It sure didn't look like he was their employee."

"Is that where you went yesterday? To ask people about him?" I inquired. He nodded. "Maybe he worked for them off the books? Something personal?" I suggested.

He nodded. "I had the same thought. I started asking around… and I learned something pretty surprising," he started. "Nikolai had this old drinking buddy, Sammy Jasper. He told me one night he'd had a few shots and started getting sentimental. He kept going on about his secret love, the one that got away, the 'woman of his heart forever'." _Oh my god, he_ was _in love with Margret._ "Eventually, Sammy worked a name out of him: Margret Sterling."

"I knew it!" I shouted a little loudly. "They had an affair," I spoke lower.

He nodded again. "Apparently. Sammy had some pretty choice things to say about it, too."

"But what does this all mean?" I asked, wondering where he was going with this new-found information.

He threw his shoulders up. "Damned if I know… It's like we have all these puzzle pieces, but they just don't come together."

"Should we tell Grant?" I thought, though I wasn't sure how it would help the case at this point.

"Tell him what? That an old drunk swears Nikolai had a fling with Margret Sterling?" he pointed out how ridiculous it sounded.

"Well, if you put it that way…," I sighed.

"Still," he continued, "we can do some sleuthing of our own. The memorial for Bryce and Tanner is downtown today," he told me. "The Sterlings will be there… which means…"

"The manor is empty!" I finished for him with a smirk.

He nodded. "If there _was_ something going on between Margret and Nikolai, I bet we'd find the proof there."

"You want to break into the home of the richest family in town and snoop around all on the word of, and I quote, 'an old drunk'?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You got something better to do?" he smirked.

"You're insane, Flynn, you know that?" I laughed.

He grinned. "Kinda my brand."

"You're lucky I like you. Let's do this thing," I agreed.

"Great," he tossed me a helmet. It didn't take long at all to get up to the manor. Flynn took a dirt road, stopping in the woods behind the property. "You sure you're up to this?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Like I'd do anything else right now, and, honestly, I'm looking forward to it," I grinned. "Nothing gets my blood pumping like B&E," I teased. Really, it seemed to be our best bonding time.

"I thought _I_ was supposed to be the outlaw," he joked back.

I laughed. "You must be a bad influence." He walked the bike up a little closer, parking it near a thicket of trees. We crept along the edge of the property to the rear service entrance, where a boy was smoking a cigarette. "Must be a member of the staff on his break," I suggested.

"Which means he probably left the door open behind him," he added.

We locked eyes for a minute. I winked and stood up. Before he could ask me what I was doing, I ran a few yards down, screaming, "Help! Help! There's a wild animal loose, and it's attacking me! Dear lord, what is this beast of nightmares?" I over-embellished. When the boy started running in the wrong direction, obviously concerned, Flynn and I darted passed him to the door. When we got inside, we ducked into a small parlor. Flynn grinned widely at me.

"'This beast of nightmares'?" he asked, trying not to laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be a writer," he teased.

I wacked his arm. "Lay off, I never said I was an actor."

He looked around. "So, any idea where Margret's room is?"

"Actually, yes," I nodded. I retraced my steps from my last visit until we reached the heavy oak doors down the hall from the insane trophy room. "I think I saw her come out of here-," but before I could finish my sentence, a door at the end of the hall swung open. "Hide!" I whispered. We threw ourselves into the closest room. I kicked something and stopped, but Flynn crashed into me, making us topple onto the floor with a thump. "Ow!" I put my hand up over my mouth, trying to stifle my groan. Flynn had landed right on top of me.

"Sorry," he frowned, his face only inches from mine. I understood why he couldn't move, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. I pushed his hand off of my chest, biting my finger to keep from shouting. "Ah, crap, sorry," he whispered again. I put a finger to his lips, listening as the footsteps echoed through the hallway. It seemed like an hour before they finally disappeared down the hall.

I took my hands away from our mouths, looking up at him. He was leaning over me, staring for way too long. "You can get off me now," I smiled.

He shook his head. "Right, sorry," he rolled away before standing and helping me up.

"You apologize too much," I joked, looking around the room. There was no way this was Margret's room.

"This place looks really… masculine," Flynn pointed out.

"And gross," I added, kicking an empty bottle on the floor. "This must be Bryce's room."

Flynn scowled for a second, then let up. "Well, since we're in here, we might as well look around, right? See if Bryce was hiding anything?"

I curled my lip. "I'm sure many things are hidden in here, but if there's a chance he was connected to all this, we need to know, right?"

"Exactly," Flynn looked as grossed out as I did.

I went to check his closet first. That was usually the first place people hid things. I opened the door, and was immediately attacked by an avalanche of clothes that I couldn't tell were clean or dirty by the smell. My 'clean freak' was going nuts.

"Anything interesting? Besides the color of that polo shirt?" he pointed to a neon green polo that had peach patterns on it… not something I'd expect Bryce to wear.

"There might be something back here," I gritted my teeth and shoved my hand into the pile of clothes to feel around the back wall of the closet. I felt something… different… and wrapped my fingers around it. I held up a lacy red bra.

"A bra?" Flynn's jaw dropped.

"Are you shocked because he may have gotten some, or because you don't think it's his color?" I joked. He shook that thought out of his head. I looked closer at it. "Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but I think it's Kates."

He glared down at me. "You've got to be kidding me. How would you even know that?"

I stared back up at him blankly. "Roommate, remember? When we were in college, she discovered her 'perfect bra' and wouldn't stop talking about it for _weeks_ ," I recalled her running around the room in just her bra, talking about how comfortable it was. "It's the same color and style she always bought."

"Kate's definitely a red bra kinda gal," he tried to shake that image out of his head, too. "So… what, you think Bryce stole it?"

"Would you put it passed him?" I asked, wondering if he _really_ needed to answer that question.

"No. No I would not," he scowled.

We moved to his drawers on the other side of his bed, which was a maze to get around. We started digging through the drawers. I pulled out a pair of leopard-print speedos and nearly gagged. "Dear god," I threw them to the other side of the room, never wanting to picture that ever again.

"Aren't you glad you've never been to a Sterling Manor pool party?" Flynn teased.

I shook my head, but kept digging. Eventually, I pulled out a small bag of white powder, shaking it around knowingly. "Two guesses what this is," I held it up.

"I always knew Bryce was a drunk, but maybe that wasn't his only bad habit," he almost looked disappointed. I threw it back into the drawer, covering it back up for someone else to find when the time came.

Flynn looked around, spotting Bryce's computer in the corner. He booted it up. "Any guesses what the password is?" he asked. I stared blankly at him then typed slowly over his shoulder 'p-a-s-s-w-o-r-d'. It logged in without a hitch. He laughed. "Should have known it wasn't possible to underestimate Bryce."

His desktop was practically empty, with just the browser icon and the recycle bin. "Nothing much on the desktop… do we _dare_ check the internet history?"

"Only if I can bleach my brain afterwards," Flynn groaned.

"They probably sell it at Shipwreck Sally's," I joked. He clicked on the browser, pulling up the history tab. "Looks like what you'd expect, mostly," I wasn't seeing anything that caught my eye. There was porn, sports, a couple of bootlegged movies… "Wait," I pointed to the web address for an online store. Flynn clicked on it. "He recently bought a nanny cam?"

Flynn scoffed. "That bear we found in Kate's room, with the hidden camera!"

I nodded. "There's no chance _this_ is a coincidence."

"That son-of-a-bitch," he growled. "If he was still alive, I'd-," I cut him off.

"I get it, but we need to stay focused," I stared sternly at him.

He sighed. "So where does this leave us?"

"Well, we know Bryce was Grade-A creeper status with a drug problem and a serious obsession with your sister," I frowned.

"That asshole's so lucky he's dead," the fire burned in Flynn's eyes. "The things I would do to him if…"

"Doubt it'd be worse than getting blown off a cliff by a firework," I said.

"When they find the body, you think Naomi will let me spit in his face?" Flynn asked, dead serious.

I laughed. I couldn't tell what was funnier, the fact that he sounded so serious about it, or the idea of him being satisfied with only spitting in his face and not decapitating his dead body or something. "I'm gonna leave that one up to her," I snickered. "Are we done here?"

He closed the laptop and threw it back into the corner. "Definitely. Let's find Margret's room."

The far end of the hallway, near where the maid had come out, sported another pair of heavy double doors. _How rich do you have to be to have double doors to every bedroom?_ I crossed my fingers, hoping we were right this time. We creaked the door open and slipped in when the coast was clear. Surely enough, this was Margret's room. It was a royal-looking room with large windows, fancy drapery, a king-sized bed with satin sheets and intricately detailed head and foot boards, and enough space to throw a party.

"Geeze, this place is fit for the Queen," I looked around. Even the wallpaper was fancy.

"I feel like I might break something if I just _look_ at it the wrong way," Flynn eased into the room, walking as carefully as he could. "Anyway… where should we start?"

I lifted my shoulders. "Remember what Nikolai said?"

"Under the bed it is," he nodded. We both dropped to our knees and lifted the bed-skirt. It was a bit dark, since all sides were covered, but there was quite obviously nothing under her bed.

"There's nothing here," I frowned. Then I squinted a bit. The light was hitting the floor differently in one spot. "Wait… does that tile look… off to you?"

"Definitely. Maybe there's something underneath," he crawled under the bed and used his pocket knife to wedge the tile out of place.

"What do you see?" I asked when he slid the tile out of the way.

He turned to face me, a thick manila envelope in his hands. It was so full that the string holding it closed was taped down. He crawled out and opened it, pulling out a stack of papers. "Woah, what is all this stuff?"

The papers were titled and dated, some extremely old and some fairly recent. "It's the Sterling company's financial records," I flipped through the papers on my lap. "These go back decades," I pointed to some of the dates in the top righthand corners.

As we scanned through the stack, he pointed to one page. "I'm no accountant, but the 1985 numbers look really bad."

"That's putting it lightly," I said, turning to the next page. "The company was on the brink of bankruptcy."

The next page was the next year. "And then 1986 rolls around and they're doing way better," his finger trailed along the faded ink. "How?" I slid a sheet out from the second set of papers that had a binder clip holding them together. It was a shipping record with a few things circled in red, but they seem to be written in code. "I'm not sure what that says, but all the shipments circled were from Russia," Flynn pointed to a destination number he must have recognized.

"They're on this one sheet, but nowhere else in the official records," I said, flipping through the rest of that half of the stack.

"Wait," Flynn took the stack from my hands. "I might know what this means," he fingered through the pages until he was staring at a small stack from a single decade. "There's always been this rumor that back in the 80's and early 90's, a lot of drugs came through Bridgeport," he explained, his eyes darting around each paper in his hands. "I always figured it was just a lot of old timers trying to make their lives sound more dramatic, but what if…"

"The Sterlings saved their family business by getting into a _different_ kind of import?" I finished.

"And if they _were_ importing drugs, they'd need a liaison to organized crime. Someone to sell the supply," he added.

"Someone like Nikolai," we were on the same page.

"He was their middle-man. That's how he knew them," he concluded.

"Wait, what's this?" I slid a single sheet of paper out of his hands. It was a container inspection report with the same I.D number as one of the red-circled shipments. Under the contents column, it just said 'textiles'. At the bottom… I couldn't mistake it. "Chief Walsh's signature," I let out a long sigh. "Why _doesn't_ this surprise me?"

"He's not just their stooge, he's their partner in crime," Flynn growled.

I raised my eyebrows. "Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? That's why he's so invested in making sure no-one goes snooping into the Sterling's affairs."

Flynn looked up at the ceiling. "God. All their talk about the importance of their family… all of Walsh's self-righteous crap… It's all a lie. They're just criminals, all of them."

"Flynn, look," I shuffled the paper my eyes had fixed on to the front of the stack. It was a handwritten letter with a faded lipstick mark on the bottom right corner.

He sighed and let his head fall, tensing up immediately. "Is that… a love letter?"

I nodded. "I think so. Listen," I began to read it. "'My darling Pierce, I'm writing to tell you how much I love you, how much I yearn for you, how I hunger for your touch," I started, wanting to gag.

"Well, that's definitely not Margret," Flynn crossed his arms, letting me continue.

"'I know that soon you'll leave your wife and join me, and we can at last begin our life together'," I read.

"Holy crap," Flynn gasped.

"It must have been a pretty serious affair if she thought he would leave the family," I narrowed my eyes at the page. "It's dated April 1993."

"Jesus," Flynn rubbed his brow. "This entire family can't keep it in their pants."

I picked up reading where I left off. "'It is with great excitement, but also fear, that I tell you this news, my love. I am pregnant. We're going to have a daughter'," I had to stop.

"Holy mother of god," Flynn shook his head in disbelief, taking the words right out of my mouth.

I squinted at the bottom, trying to read the faded handwriting. "It's signed 'Your devoted Alanis'," I said.

"Alanis?" Flynn sat straight up. "The only Alanis I know in Bridgeport is the one who-," he stopped when a click sound came from behind us. We both spun around in complete horror.

"Don't _ever_ say that name in here again!" Margret stood tall and angry in the doorway to her room… with a shotgun…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Flynn and I stood in Margret Sterling's bedroom, a pile of loose papers spread out around our feet from where we'd dropped them. She stood in the doorway with a shotgun aimed directly at my head.

"Getting real sick of folks pointing guns at me," Flynn grumbled.

"Not to worry, dear," Margret's eyes darted to him. "This will be the last time."

I put my hands up. "Please, Mrs. Sterling, don't do something you'll regret," I furrowed my brow, my breathing becoming unsteady for the umpteenth time this week.

"Like what? Shooting the intruders I caught robbing my home _during my sons' memorial_?" she hissed. "There's not a jury in the world that would convict me."

"We're talking about murder, here. Could you live with that on your conscience?" I tried to reason with her.

Rage made her nostrils flare. "You were given every chance to leave. Every opportunity to walk away," her hands trembled a bit, but she clenched her jaw and steadied her grip. "And now, you know too much. I'm sorry, but I can't let you two ruin everything I've worked so hard for!"

I ran through my book of things to say in situations like these, trying to think of just the right thing that would get her attention. If I said something too aggressive, we would get shot. Likewise, if I said something too empathetic. She might think I was mocking her… and we would get shot. "Margret, Pierce is a cheating ass," is what I came up with in the time crunch. _Good going._ "You must have really hated him after the affair with Alanis."

"And every day since," she huffed. "I'm nothing if not consistent."

"Is that why you kept your little folder?" Flynn asked. "To take him down?"

She scoffed. "Of course not! I'd have nothing without Pierce. This life, this family, this house… I would lose all of it," she showed no signs of backing down. "That folder was to keep him in line; to prevent him from making a grave, grave error." Her lip curled in disgust as her eyes found the letter on the floor. "Like he did with _her_ ," she spat.

At least she was talking. If I could keep her going, maybe she'd get some of that pent-up rage out _without_ shooting one or both of us. "It must have hurt to learn that she was pregnant," I urged her to continue her rant.

"You can't even imagine!" her normally smooth voice cracked in anger. "All his talk of legacy, all of his grand aspirations, and still he couldn't keep himself from knocking up his little tart. You should have heard how Pierce went on about _his_ Alanis Acosta, like a lovestruck teenager," she sounded completely disgusted. "He said he was going to leave me, going to raise his new child, going to tell her everything…"

"Tell her everything about the business?" I asked. "I mean, the smuggling, the drugs?"

"Precisely," her eyes darted up to me. "He was so _sure_ she'd understand. As if any woman besides me could _ever_ understand!"

"So, you knew then. You knew what he really was," I said, irritation lacing my words.

Her brows furrowed, her expression becoming pained. "You have to understand, he wasn't always that way. When I married him, he was still an honest man," a dash of adoration flashed through her eyes as she spoke, "ambitious and ruthless, but honest." Sadness spread across her face. "But everything fell apart in the 80's. Pierce made some bad investments. The port wasn't getting as many shipments…"

"We all hit hard times occasionally," Flynn growled, "but most of us don't turn into Pablo Excobar."

"It was never like that!" she snapped back at him. "He wasn't some criminal mastermind."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "The guy was running a massive drug smuggling operation using coded cyphers to track it. That seems pretty professional to me," argued.

She huffed. "Fine, so he did a good job of managing it. That doesn't mean it was his idea." My eyes widened. _Who else was involved?_ "He just reached out to some contacts in New York and they convinced him to open up his ships and his harbor to their… trade," she explained.

"So you're saying his 'contacts' were the Russian mob," Flynn deduced. "What a great guy Pierce must have been." I let out a small sigh. _He's gonna get us killed._

She frowned. "They even sent an enforcer of theirs down to supervise," she said.

"Nikolai," I nodded, understanding now.

She shook her head. "Sweet, simple Nikolai… I didn't think much could surprise me, but his kindness… I never expected that."

"Yeah, well, Nikolai is another thing your little scheme put an end to," Flynn told her. "He took a bullet to the chest. He's in a coma, and he might never wake up."

Her jaw dropped. "Wh-what?" she staggered back, leaning against the door.

"You loved him," I prodded, taking advantage of her weakness.

The gun began to fall. "The way you might love a mangy old dog, perhaps," it looked like the damn holding back all of her emotions was about to burst. "He's a brute of a man with the mind of a child. A woman like me would break him in a heartbeat."

"But he loved _you_ , didn't he?" Flynn seemed like he was angry _for_ Nikolai. I was, too.

She nodded weakly. "Madly, desperately. He had more passion in one stubby finger than Pierce does in his whole body."

"So, you're saying you had an affair of your own," Flynn insinuated.

She shook her head, coming back to her senses. "No, of course not. Nothing _physical_ ever happened between us. When I learned about Alanis, I thought about sleeping with him, of course, but just to hurt Pierce," she explained. "Then Pierce told me about her baby… about his plans… I couldn't let him leave. I couldn't let him talk. And Nikolai… well, he'd do anything for me."

Suddenly, everything fell into place. I remembered what Tony Rez had said about the secretary's house fire, what Flynn told me about Nikolai's past… "Oh my god… Margret," my stomach churned. "Alanis died in a house fire… one that everyone suspected was intentional…"

"Jesus Christ! You told Nikolai to set fire to that woman's house!" Flynn caught on. "You burnt a pregnant woman alive!"

She scoffed, standing firmly back on her feet, gun pointed at Flynn now. "All I did was whisper a few words in Nikolai's ear. The burning was all his doing."

"And Pierce just, what, accepted that?" Flynn was caught between rage and disgust. "You murdered the love of his life and his unborn child!"

"He had no choice," she spat back quickly. "I knew his secret and he knew mine. We were trapped together. Forever."

 _That's… the octopus…_ "Nikolai… the guilt consumed him. It _destroyed_ him."

"Collateral damage is always such a pity, but don't worry," she pointed the shotgun back at me, "this time, I'm going to take care of things myself."

Flynn took a step forward, making her flip back to him. He made eye contact with her as he got down on his knees. Her finger tightened around the trigger. My eyes shot quickly from her to Flynn. I dove in front of him as a loud noise rang out behind me… followed by a thud. I opened my eyes when I realized I hadn't felt anything. Flynn was looking up at me, shocked. I looked down at my chest, but I was fine.

"And stay down!" a familiar voice made me spin around. Naomi had hit Margret over the head with a vase.

I fell back onto the floor, my hand to my racing heart. "Naomi… your timing… is incredible," I got out through my pained breathing. It took a minute to get my breaths under control, but even longer for my heart to slow back down.

"Are you two okay?" she asked, running over to us.

"Peachy," I nodded. Flynn stood up quickly and jumped over me. He kicked the gun away from Margret as she reached for it. Naomi pulled Margret's arms back and zip-tied them together.

"Y-you can't do this!" she objected. "You're not even a police officer anymore. Pierce told Walsh to see to that!"

Naomi pulled her up by the wrists. "I'm putting you under citizen's arrest, _ma'am_ ," she hissed.

"Let me go! You're on _my_ property!" Margret struggled, but Naomi held her firmly.

"And _you_ just threatened these two at gunpoint," she snapped.

"Plus, the whole… confessing to murder thing," Flynn said.

"I demand to speak to my lawyer at once!" Margret screamed. "You'll never hear the end of this."

"Actually," Flynn took an intimidating step toward her. "I think we've heard about enough," he stuffed a wad of tissues into her mouth from the table near the door. Margret struggled to speak, clearly outraged, but Flynn ignored her and turned to me. "You alright down there?"

I fell onto my back, splaying out like a scarecrow. "I think I need a minute," I stared up at the ceiling. I took a few deep breaths then sat back up. "How did you even know to come here, Naomi?"

"I just kept thinking about what Nikolai said at the lighthouse," she shrugged. "It felt like a piece was missing, and it felt like that piece had something to do with the Sterlings," she explained vaguely.

Flynn's jaw dropped. "Wait, were you planning to break in, too?"

She smirked. "I guess we'll never know."

He smiled proudly. "I'll make a criminal out of you yet, Silverhawk."

"Not if I make an honest man out of you first," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes. "As touching as this bro-moment is, we're still in Margret's room… with Margret… in Sterling Manor… illegally," I pointed out. "What now?"

"Well, what did you find?" Naomi looked down at the mess of papers scattered across the floor. We filled her in on everything we'd read, suspected, and heard first hand from Margret. "God, it's even worse than I thought," she gasped. "The whole town has been tainted by the Sterlings' crimes."

I nodded. "What they did in the 80's, it's all coming back to haunt them."

Flynn grimaced. "Yeah, well it's their kids who are paying for it."

"It's tragic," I looked down at the floor.

"And it would be even _more_ tragic if Kate took the fall for Tanner's murder," Naomi's face hardened.

"We won't let that happen," I said confidently. "We've got enough to get her out now."

Flynn threw his thumb over his shoulder at Margret. "So, what should we do with _her_?"

"Well, we can't hand her over to Walsh…," I sighed. "He was involved in everything the Sterlings did. He's as guilty as they are."

"That piece of-," Naomi started, but didn't finish.

"But it doesn't leave us with many options," I reminded them.

Naomi bent over to pick up the papers. "Margret's file proves everything. I'll take it to the state investigator's office. They've never much cared for the way Walsh runs this town," she said. "And I'm sure they'll understand why I took this over his head," she held up the neatly packed envelope.

"Please tell me this means Walsh is finally going down," Flynn beamed like a kid who'd gotten a bike for Christmas. "Because I have been wanting that to happen my whole life."

Naomi smiled. "With what we have in this folder? Hell yes, he's going down."

By the end of the day, Naomi had called the state office and they'd assigned one of their top agents to the case. He authorized her to put Margret in custody. Pierce disappeared shortly after finding out his wife had been arrested, but we were sure the investigator would find him once he got there. Judge Winters granted Kate's request for bail and Nikolai was in custody. The Sterlings and Walsh were completely exposed. We'd cracked the case.

Morning rolled around and I was feeling… well… a bit disappointed… With everything working out, it was time for me to go back to New York… I had a story to write and a life to get back to… I spent the morning looking for flights, trying to find one as late as possible to allow me time to say goodbye. _God, am I really going back?_ A lot of terrible things had happened, but I'd really grown fond of the town… and some of the people. _It's hard to imagine going back home._ A knock echoed through the door. I got up and opened it to find Ms. Harlenay standing sadly in front of me.

"Hi, Ms. Harlenay," I greeted with a warm, but sad smile.

"Tanner," she frowned, "here's your final bill… though I must say, I've grown quite fond of you… I hate to say goodbye."

I sighed. "I feel the same. I wish I could stay, but Kate'll be released today, the Sterlings got what's been coming to them, and-," I tried to explain.

"Boy, when skeletons come flying out of the closet, they sure scatter bones everywhere, don't they?" she took a deep breath, letting it out quickly.

I smiled. "That's a colorful way to put it."

"Don't let me keep you, hun," she took my hand when I reached for the bill. "It's your last night here, isn't it?"

I nodded sadly. "Yeah… yeah it is."

"If you don't mind me prying," she started, asking for the first time since I'd been there, "how are you going to spend it? Or should I say _who_ are you going to spend it with?" I laughed at her new-found sense of privacy. Before I could answer, she tried to guess. "Oh, I bet it's that Flynn O'Malley." I blushed. "I knew it!" she bounced giddily. "I could tell by the way you talked about him that there was something between you."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "He's… a pretty special guy," I looked away, embarrassed by my own thoughts. I was going to miss him…

"Mm- _mmm_ , I have always loved a bad boy," she grinned. "Or bad girl… or both at the same time…"

I laughed. "Why don't we put a pin in that thought, Ms. Harlenay," I pulled her into a hug. "I'm going to miss you the most, I think," I chuckled.

She giggled, patting me on the back. "Dear, it's been a pleasure having you. Please come by again any time you visit."

"You can bet on it," I pulled away.

After making my travel plans and getting everything packed, I headed out towards the docks. When I got there, I heard him up on the roof playing guitar. I smiled and snuck quietly over to the ladder.

When my head was just above the top, I said, "Hey, sexy." He spun around quickly, a bit startled. "Are you serenading the stars?" I teased, pulling myself up onto the roof.

He smirked. "I thought if I played long enough, some gorgeous guy might show up," he threw out a cheesy line, but I took the bait.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it," I turned back towards the ladder. "He could be by any minute."

I looked over my shoulder and he rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Now get yourself over here," he patted the spot beside him. I sat beside him, rubbing shoulders. He turned his head towards me, those eyes piercing my soul, and I couldn't resist. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. He slid the guitar off of his lap and wrapped his arm around me. "God, you're something else, you know that?"

I smiled bashfully. "I can't help it. It's just my nature," I tried to joke, but the way he was looking at me made me want to die of embarrassment… or live in it forever…

I rested my head on his shoulder. "This is perfect," I beamed, thinking the stars reflected my happiness in that moment. Flynn picked the guitar back up and played for me. The melody was sweet, but a bit sad. "I don't recognize this one. What is it?" I asked.

He looked down at his hands. "I… wrote it for you," he blushed a bit. I turned beet red, lifting my head to watch him play. After a few more chords, he began to sing. As the story in his words played out, I curled up into my knees. It was about a man who fell in love with a star, but the star had to leave…

"Flynn," I couldn't look at him anymore. My heart felt like it would break if I did.

He wrapped his arms around me when he finished the song. "It's okay. I just wanted you to hear it." It took me a while to recover from that… I had to swallow the lump in my throat just to speak again.

"So… what's next for you?" I asked, still hiding my face under my arms.

He thought for a minute. "I think it's time to make some changes," I saw him looking up at the sky when I peeked around my arm. He looked so distant, yet tangible.

I let out a choked chuckle. "So, you're going on the road as a singer-songwriter then?"

He laughed. "That's a hard no," he looked down at me.

I raised my head a bit. "Aw, come on. Think of all the adoring fans you'll be missing out on."

"And crappy ticket sales, sleeping in budget hotels, dealing with the fans after I break their hearts," he trailed off. "No thanks."

"Well, what _are_ you planning to do?" I rested my chin on my arm, looking up at him now.

He looked out over the water. "It's more of a concept than a plan," he started.

"Are you going to tell me or is it suddenly a secret?" I teased.

He put a finger to his lips. "It's a secret."

I sat up, outraged. "Seriously? You led me on just to let me down?" I frowned playfully.

"I'm sorry, but it… might not happen. I want you to be surprised if it does," he continued to avoid my eyes.

I sighed. "Fine, but if it _does_ pan out, I better be the first you call."

He smiled, finally looking at me. "Deal. So, what's next for you?"

I looked up at the stars. "I am severely overdue for some family time," I said. "This whole thing… it's made me realize how much I miss my sister… and my _parents_. Wild, right?" I laughed.

"Tell me about them," was all he said. I thought he'd make fun of me, but he didn't.

"My mom always wanted to be an artist," I began. "We used to go to the local art museum when I was young and take silly photos with the paintings and wax figures," I chuckled at the memory. "There's one of me and my sister hanging in the living room, actually. We're in front of a painting of a massive ice cream cone, pretending to lick it. It sounds silly, I know."

He laughed. "This was taken around your twenty-second birthday, I assume?"

"More like my tenth," I rocked into him, nudging him with my shoulder. He was so warm. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder and letting out a long breath.

He fidgeted a little. "Hey, it's a bit chilly up here. Let's go downstairs."

"Okay," I nodded.

 _[ALERT: THE FOLLOWING SEGMENT IS RATED M FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH SEXUAL CONTENT, PLEASE SKIP DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE THE ROW OF STARS. THANK YOU]_

We climbed down the ladder and ducked into the living area. He took my hands, looking down at them. "So… last night in town…"

"Yup," I couldn't stop looking at him. "What do you want to do with it?"

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine with fire behind them. "Stuff," he smirked.

I bit my lip. "What kind of 'stuff'?" I teased knowingly. He pulled me into him, kissing me with such a passion… it didn't take long for shirts to go flying. I was in such a hurry to pull his off that I heard it rip. "Shit," I mumbled into his lips, pulling away to apologize.

He pulled me back down after throwing his shirt to the floor. "Clothes, always getting in the way," he was smiling like nothing in the world could bring him down off his high. "God, you're amazing," he kissed my chin.

"Less talking, more touching," I chuckled. I didn't have to tell him twice. He pushed me up against the wall, his hands sliding all around my body… my chest… my stomach… my legs…

"See, _these_ clothes are in the way, too," he bit my lower lip as his fingers fought through my belt. Once he got my pants off, he looked me over. "There should be a law against looking that good," he smirked.

"Well," I joked, "we've been breaking a lot of those pesky things lately." I wiggled my finger at him, telling him to come back. As we kissed, I felt along his sides, my hands roaming from his arms to his chest then down to his thighs. I hastily fumbled with the button of his jeans, but soon had him in my hand. He moaned into the kiss as I massaged him. I kissed down his neck, working my way slowly down until I was on my knees. I licked and kissed before going all in. He leaned against the wall over me, tensing as I pleased him. I snaked a hand around his butt to pull him into me. I could hear him breathing. His hand laced its way through my hair, moving with my head. When he was hard enough, he pulled me up to kiss me again, waddling us over to the couch. I pushed him down, straddling him, and rubbed my hips against his. He pulled me down to pillage my mouth again, his other hand teasing my rear. I'd never wanted anything so badly. I sucked on his lip, looking deeply into his sea blue eyes. They were so easy to get lost in. His first finger slid in, making me moan into him. A short time after, three were in and my face was buried in his neck. He nipped at my earlobe and a shiver ran up my spine. I pulled his hand away and lined myself up with him. When he was in, I started rocking my hips.

"Jesus," he threw his head back, giving me the opportunity to attack his throat. His hands gripped my hips, pushing them down harder as he bucked upwards. I let out a sound I wasn't proud of when he hit a certain spot, making me bite down hard on my lip. "There?" he asked, and I nodded vigorously. I could hear my gasps echoing around the room.

"Ah, fuck," I tried to hide my face next to his, but that only put me closer to his ear, where every sound I made could be heard clearly… and, boy, did he enjoy it. At that rate, it didn't take long to hit our climax. I was out of breath by the time we got there. I relaxed completely against him, kissing at his jawline as I stared at him from his shoulder. "Tanner," he frowned, his fingers intertwining with mine. "I don't wat this to be goodbye sex."

"Then it's not," I said simply. I sat up. "It's hello sex," I grinned, pinning his hands above his head. "Hi, Flynn," I beamed down at him, hovering not even a foot above his face.

"Hello, gorgeous," he smiled back up at me. I bit my lip and he laughed. The way his face looked… the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed… it made my heart hurt. "You make me so happy." My smile faded and the knot in my throat came back. He looked up at me for a second, but didn't give me long to be lost in my thoughts. He escaped from my grip, making me fall onto him, and kissed me like it might change my mind about leaving… and it was working. "One more round?" he gazed up at me.

"Or four," I whispered breathlessly. He smirked and flipped me over onto my back. "Or five," I added when his kisses on my neck began to override my brain.

[THE PG-13 STORY PICKS BACK UP HERE]

I woke up with Flynn's arms around me, one under my neck and the other over my waist. _I could get used to this_. The orange light of the sunrise lit up parts of his face. I smiled dorkily.

"Good morning," he grinned groggily at me, tracing his thumb across my shoulder.

"Morning," I bit my lip. I could have stared at him from that angle for an eternity… but my phone alarm started buzzing across the room. I groaned. I had to _get up_ to turn it off… then it hit me… I had to leave.

He frowned as I started putting my clothes back on. "Listen, I… don't really want to do the tearful goodbye thing," he sat up, grabbing his pants from the floor.

"Me neither," I frowned as I pulled my shirt back over my head. When I was dressed and ready to leave, he stood and pulled me into a long hug. He kissed my forehead before I pulled away. I felt that knot come back. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying not to be emotional about it, but… I headed for the door.

"Hey, Tanner?" he called out to me as my hand touched the door handle.

I spun around a bit too quickly, waiting for an excuse to stay. "Yeah?"

He frowned. "You're… the best thing that's ever happened to me."

My brain quickly ran through two scenarios. I could go to him and probably never convince myself to leave… or I could run… It took everything I had, but I chose option two and bolted out the door, head down, not stopping. I darted down the docks. _Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back._

I took a cab to the police station. I smiled widely when I saw Kate standing in the middle of the room.

"Tanner!" she squealed, running over to me.

I held my arms out to catch her. "Katie!" I picked her up and spun her around, but a deep voiced 'Ahem' forced me to put her down. I looked over at the well-dressed man.

"Tino Thompson. State investigator," he introduced himself. "One hell of a mess you've got yourselves in here," he tilted his head to the jail cells along the far wall where Margret and Walsh were looking pretty bad.

"Tanner!" Walsh called out to me. "You need to help me! You're a journalist, right? You gotta get my story out there! You gotta clear my name!" he reached through the bars.

"Oh, I'll get your story out there, but your name is already tainted, my friend," I shook my head.

Tino's face hardened. "I've had my suspicions about Walsh for some time, but I had no idea how deep his corruption ran. He and the Sterlings… They have a lot to answer for."

"Sir, please, this is all a mistake!" Walsh continued.

"Oh, for god's sake, Walsh, give it up. They have the file. They know everything," Margret hissed at him.

Kate wrapped her arm around mine. "Tino's handling the investigation now, Tan. The county, the state, they're all going to be looking into what happened here," she said.

"I'm going to have a lot of questions for you later, Tanner, but for now, I'll give the two of you a moment," he nodded curtly and turned away. "Mind grabbing me a coffee, Deputy?"

Across the station, Duffy quietly fumbled with the coffee maker. "Of… of course, sir…"

"Pathetic," Margret spat. "The only officer this town has left is the one who can barely tie his own shoes." Tino shook his head and went to help Duffy. I was glad that poor guy was finally going to be free of the abuse Walsh put him through.

Kate jumped on me again, squeezing me in a tight bear hug. "Careful… don't break me," I wheezed.

"No promises, Tan!" her smile was so wide that a little pain didn't bother me at all. "After all, you saved my life."

I laughed. "I had a lot of help. From your brother, especially. He didn't give up for a second," I managed to wrangle an arm loose and run my hand through her hair. "And Naomi? That woman is _fearless_. Oh, and Grant… that guy's like a one-man Justice League," I joked.

"Don't think you're dodging credit that easily," she pulled back and stared up at me. "I know it wouldn't have happened without you."

"So, are you free to go?" I looked around, feeling like I had to wait for the other shoe to drop after the week we'd been through.

She nodded. "I think so, yeah. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. So much has changed, but I feel like… like I'm ready to start a new life," she smiled softly.

"I know what you mean," I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, should we celebrate that with a drink? I saw a brunch place on Main that has bottomless mimosas," I suggested.

She took a step back and bit her lip nervously. "Actually, about that… There's something I should tell you," she paused, looking around before looking back up at me. "I got a call this morning from the hospital. They got back the bloodwork from just after you found me and… Tanner… I'm pregnant."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"My word," Margret gasped from her cell and Duffy dropped a mug on the opposite side of the station, many pieces of broken cup scattering across the floor.

"Damnit, Deputy! You got coffee all over me!" Tino shouted, flicking the coffee off of his hands. Duffy stuttered an apology.

"You… you didn't know?" I asked Kate.

She shook her head. "I had no idea. The last time Tanner and I were… together that way… was the day before the wedding. It must have happened then," she explained.

"My child… my grandchild…," Margret sank in her cell.

Katie reached down, holding her stomach. "They still need to do a lot of tests to make sure it's healthy and everything, but… I'm definitely pregnant."

"Oh, Katie," I took her hand. "I'll help you through this however I can. Whatever you need, whatever you choose, I'll support you," I pulled her in for another hug, but my phone rang. I pulled it out reluctantly. It was Grant. The text read 'Urgent! Call now!' "I hate to do this _right now_ , but do you mind if I take this?"

She gave a weak smile. "Of course."

I stepped towards the door and dialed his number. He sounded frantic. "Tanner! Thank god I caught you!"

"Emerson, this isn't the best time… Kates-," I started.

"I was thinking about what you told me," he cut me off. "About how Margret and Nikolai killed Alanis because she was pregnant with Pierce's child," he said. "It kept eating at me. I read about the Acosta fire when it happened, and there was no mention of her being pregnant."

"So?" I asked. "Maybe they wanted to protect her privacy."

"No, not this time," he sounded sure. "I dug up some records for local hospitals. A week before the Acosta fire, a Jane Doe gave birth at Tuskonaw General, three towns over, to a healthy baby _boy._ Her description matches Alanis precisely."

I crossed my arms. "Grant, I'm still not following. Why is this important?"

"Alanis Acosta had a _son_ , Tanner. Pierce's son. A child none of the Sterlings knew existed," he continued.

I was still confused. "But wouldn't the baby have died in the fire?"

"Think about it. If the baby had died in the fire, they'd have found his body, right?" he proposed.

"I mean, yeah, but what are you getting at?" I asked again.

"I kept turning it over in my head. What if Nikolai killed Alanis, but couldn't bring himself to kill a child?" he sounded like he was pacing. "What if he took the baby and lied about it? So, I did some more digging. The morning after the Acosta fire, a baby boy was dropped off at Bridgeport Hospital. He was put into the foster system. It sounds like he had a really rough go of it… multiple reports of abuse and severe bullying."

"Oh, god," I shook my head.

"The parents that finally adopted that child, the ones that gave him a new name were Jennifer and Charles _Duffy_."

I slowly spun around, eyes wide, and saw Duffy with his gun raised to Tino. He fired two shots into his chest and the man fell limp to the ground. Margret screamed and Kate dove to the floor, scrambling behind a desk.

"Duffy! What the hell is going on? Have you lost your mind?" Walsh shouted.

"Tanner?" Grant was still on the phone, but I'd dropped it to take cover, looking toward Kate.

"Oh, Tommy. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. Tables have really turned, haven't they?" Duffy paced towards Walsh. "All those years, fetching you coffee, soaking up your insults, playing the part of your loyal lapdog…," his grin was evil… "I sucked it up, pretending to be the idiot you thought I was, because I knew one day, I'd be standing here, ready to take my revenge."

"Jeff, please," Walsh pleaded. "Don't do this. We can talk this through." Duffy raised the gun towards Walsh's head. I made eye contact with Kate, demanding that she sneak over to me _immediately_ since I was closer to the door. I needed to get her out of there.

"With all due respect, Chief… I'd like to file my notice of resignation," Duffy fired the gun straight through Walsh's head. His body crumpled to the floor. Duffy just stared at it, grinning like a madman. "Huh… not as satisfying as I thought it would be." He turned to me and Kate. I pushed her behind me, guarding her with every fiber of my being. "Now then…"

"Don't hurt her!" I growled at him.

"I don't want to _hurt_ her, but she's left me no choice," he swung his hands wildly through the air, the 44 loosely handing in his hand.

"Jeff… how… you're the one who…," Kate stuttered, pure fear in her eyes.

He frowned. "I had to do it, Kate. I had to save you before you became one of them. Before the Sterlings corrupted you with their evil." His lip curled. "But now I see… I was too late. It's already _in_ you. So you have to die. They all have to die."

"Why?" Margret screamed from her cell. "What the hell did our family ever do to you?"

Duffy spun around, his eyes burning with hate. "You _still_ don't get it? Look at me, Margret. Look at my face. Look at my eyes. _Tell me_ you don't understand."

"He's Alanis' son!" I yelled at her.

"Oh… my god," she went from angry to hopeless.

"Now _why_ would you take all the fun out of it?" he turned back to me, but only for a second before pointing his gun at Margret's temple. "No matter. I hit the parental jackpot, right? My father was the richest man in town! I should've had a life of luxury, privilege, and power!" he bounced with every word, but then he scowled. "I should have been Tanner!"

"You could never be Tanner," Margret looked down her nose at him.

"You're right, I couldn't," he cocked his head forward. "I grew up an orphan, a nobody. Abused and neglected in one home after another," he grabbed his head like the memory was stabbing him. "I was always the littlest and the weakest. The outcast in every group. Bullied. Beaten. And worse," he smiled wickedly. "But I learned how to survive, how to play dumb, how to fly under the radar, how to suck up to the bigger boys and live in their shadow, and every day," he pointed the gun back at her forehead, "I. Died. A. Little. Inside. And whenever I saw you Sterlings, in your beautiful mansion, in your fancy cars, I always thought… 'why couldn't that be me?' I wanted that. I _deserved_ that," his voice started shaking. "'Why wasn't that _mine_?'" He started pacing in front of her cell, spinning the gun in his hand. "Then a month ago, when I was loading Nikolai into the drunk tank, he started blubbering. Told me what he did to my mother, my _real_ mother, and how he saved her little baby boy. How he saved _me_."

"But," Margret was watching him in horror. "He never told me."

Duffy laughed. "At first, I couldn't believe it either, but it made _sense_. I wasn't destined to be this loser! I was _cheated_ out of my birthright!" he yelled, echoing through the precinct louder than the shots he'd fired. "Because of you, Margret," his voice lowered for a second. "When you killed my mother!" spit flew out of his mouth and his face burned red. He raised the gun quickly, firing at Margret's stomach. She fell backwards against the far wall of her cell.

"No!" Kate screamed from behind me. I gave her a scolding look. _Please for the love of god, don't do anything stupid._ I tried to keep her from getting up, but she took a step in front of me before I could grab her and pull her back.

"Sorry, Margret," Duffy's voice was back under control. "The evil stepmother _always_ dies," he raised the gun again.

Margret looked towards us. "Take care… of the baby… my grand… child…," she sputtered.

"Margret…," Kate cried.

Duffy shot Margret once more before rushing over to us, grabbing Kate by the hair. She screamed.

"Let her go, Duffy!" I stood up, but his gun was right at my stomach… I could feel how warm it was from its last few shots.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he looked down at her. "I wanted to save you, to take you away before you became a Sterling… before you became _contaminated._ But now… now that you're pregnant… it's too late. The Sterling line needs to end. _All_ of it," he pulled her off the ground, moving the gun from my gut to her head. "Now you, Tanner, do what I say, or she dies!"

"I swear to god, Duffy, if you hurt her no place will be safe for you," I started.

"Ah-ah," he shook the gun before pointing it back at Kate's head. "Get in that cell. Now," he pointed the gun towards an empty cell just passed Tino's body. With a blend of rage and fear, I walked over to the cell, stepping through the pool of blood. Once I was in, he slammed the door, the lock automatically clicking. "Where's your phone?" I pointed towards the door where I'd dropped it.

"Please… no…," Kate choked out as she struggled.

"Katie, you've got to listen to me…," I caught her eyes. "We've saved you once, we'll do it again. Be brave and hang on. I'll come for you," I spoke confidently. She nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"No. Not this time," Duffy growled. "It's time for us to go. Back to where it _all_ _started_. Where the Sterling line began. And there, I'm going to end it at last." He pulled her towards the door by her hair, smashing my phone on his way out the door. Her screams echoed until the door slammed behind them.

"Fuck!" I shouted, rattling the bars.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I kicked the cell bars, angry that I'd been so useless. The blood from Tino's body was running under the bars from one direction and Walsh's was coming in from the other. _How the hell am I going to get out of here?_ I tried ramming into the bars, but all I did was hurt myself. I fell back against the wall, wincing as my shoulder and rib throbbed at the same time. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ I took a deep breath, sucking in the pain, and braced myself for another hit, but the door to the precinct flung itself open the second before I tried.

"Tanner!" Flynn ran over to me, not even looking at the bodies until he got there. "Jesus," he gripped the bars and looked me over.

"You're alive!" Grant chased after him, a bit more concerned about the dead people than Flynn was.

"Oh, dear god," Naomi froze closer to the door.

"Guys," I fell to my knees. "There is a god!" I sighed loudly. "I was hoping you'd come," I looked up at Grant.

"I heard gunshots over the phone. We got here as fast as we could," he couldn't stop looking at Walsh and Margret.

Naomi finally made her way over to us. "Grant filled us in on the way over. Duffy is Pierce Sterling's _son_?"

Flynn's eyes went wide as he finally looked around… "Duffy… did this?"

"He was behind everything. He's the one who kidnapped Kate, killed the Sterlings, and framed Nikolai," I explained. "He's been playing dumb for years, but I don't have time to explain this. Get me out of here! He took Kate!" I stood up, probably looking crazed, and grabbed the bars desperately.

"What? Why?" Naomi asked, still frozen.

"Probably because he's a deranged lunatic with a vendetta," I shook my head. That wasn't helping. I needed to keep a cool head. "He said he was going to end the Sterling line, and she's part of it now. She's pregnant," I explained.

"Are you serious?" Flynn's jaw dropped.

"I wouldn't joke at a time like this, now get me _out_ of here," I needed them to pay attention. Now wasn't the time for gawking.

"That piece of… I'm going to break his neck. I'm gonna-," Flynn was fuming.

"Flynn!" Naomi shouted, now digging through some drawers. "Stay focused. We need to work together if we're going to stop him."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" he asked angrily.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You can start by calling the hospital and telling them to send some EMTs, stat. I'll focus on getting Tanner out of his cell."

" _Thank you_ ," I let go of the bars and returned to holding my side.

"I'll check the wounded," Grant said. "Maybe… someone survived…" I was going to tell him that there was no way they could have survived any of those shots point blank, but he needed to cope and that was his only way right now. It didn't hurt anything to let him do it. Flynn took a few deep breaths then pulled out his phone.

"Damnit!" Naomi shouted, slamming a drawer closed. "Duffy must have taken the keys with him!" she put a hand to her head, lost for ideas, as she paced.

I leaned against the back wall. "So I'm trapped here?"

She sighed. "It's a pretty old cell. We might be able to pick the lock," she suggested.

"Perfect," I let out a sigh of relief as Flynn headed back over to us, shoving his phone in his pocket.

"Did I hear you say you needed a lock picked?"

"Be my guest," I gestured towards the gate to my cage. He kneeled on the floor, slipping his handy-dandy lockpick out of his pocket. I laughed. "You _would_ just carry that around with you."

He shrugged. "What can I say? Old habits die hard," he slid the pick and file into the keyhole until it clicked open.

When the gate opened, I grabbed Flynn's face and kissed him. "You are an amazing person," I rested my forehead on his for a moment before turning to see Grant holding Margret's wrist through the bars.

"They're all… Margret, Walsh, _and_ the poor guy from the State," he frowned.

"Three lives snuffed out just like that," Naomi closed her eyes for a second.

"Four if we don't go now. That asshole still has my sister!" Flynn growled.

Naomi pulled out her phone. "I'll call for backup, but it'll be at least an hour before anyone can get here," she began dialing.

"That's not good enough. It's up to us," I scowled towards the door.

"But we have no idea where to start," she said.

"He said that he's planning to go back to 'where it all began'. Where the Sterling line began," I told them.

"What the hell does that mean?" Flynn crossed his arms.

"He took her to the Endurance," I snapped my fingers, the thought suddenly coming to me.

"What are you talking about?" Grant asked.

"The ship," I said, not helping. "The one in the harbor. The one the first Sterling ancestor arrived here on," I further explained. Flynn nodded in agreement.

"Actually, that makes sense," Naomi agreed as well. "You said Duffy wanted to end the Sterling line forever… What better symbol of where it began than that?"

Grant nodded. "It makes sense in a… deeply… unhinged way…"

"Look around you, Grant," Flynn spat. "Unhinged is what this guy _does_. On the plus side, he's clearly not planning to use it as a getaway vehicle."

I shook my head. "I don't think he has any intention of getting away. He made it very clear that _all_ of the Sterling line had to die today. Himself included."

"Then what are we standing around for? Let's go," Flynn started towards the door.

Grant tried to stop him. "Are you sure this is a good idea? The four of us going after him?"

"We don't have a choice, Grant," I started after Flynn. "This is _Kate_ we're talking about."

"I can handle Duffy, trust me," Flynn growled as I caught up to him.

Naomi cleared her throat. "Maybe we should gear up first. We don't want to give him _any_ advantages," she pointed towards the lockers on the back wall.

I nodded after a moment than went to check them out with her. "There's only one tactical vest, but there are some cuffs and flares," I told the guys. I handed the vest to Naomi.

"You wear that," Flynn pushed it back towards me.

"What? No. Naomi is the cop with training. If anyone wears it, she should," I explained.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're still hurt _and_ you have a messed up shoulder now," he grabbed my arm and I winced. "See? You wear it."

I looked at Naomi and Grant, but they both nodded. "Fine, but you guys better take the other stuff." I reluctantly slipped the vest over my head.

Flynn smiled. "See? You look totally badass." He took the flares and shoved them into his pockets. Grant took the cuffs and Naomi walked straight to the gun closet and grabbed a rifle.

"Let's roll," she said, throwing it over her shoulder.

"Now _that's_ badass," I looked at Flynn before the four of us ran out of the station to a squad car.

"Everybody listen up," she started as she sped down to the marina. "I know we're all feeling pretty emotional right now, but the most important thing is that we _play it safe_ ," she looked in the rearview mirror at me and Flynn. "Duffy is armed and _extremely_ dangerous. Our goal is to defuse the situation without violence."

Flynn narrowed his eyes at her. "Can't promise that, Silverhawk."

"Flynn, I know you're pissed, _believe me_ I know, but what matters right now is Kate's life," I tried to explain. "If that means letting Duffy go, we have to be ready to make that choice."

He hung his head. "You're right. Kate comes first," he agreed.

Within minutes, the squad car pulled up next to the dock where the _Endurance_ sits, towering over the other ships. It seemed far too still and calm.

"Damnit, I don't see him," Flynn squinted at the ship.

"Maybe we went to the wrong pla-," but just as Naomi was about to say it, Grant pointed us all to a figure approaching the boat's railing. We clambered out of the car.

"You just _had_ to follow me, didn't you?" he called down to us, clearly not happy. "You couldn't let it go. What happens now is on you!" he did a quick 360, turning back with rifle in hand, and began firing.

"Take cover, now!" Naomi ordered. We all scrambled to hide behind something. I rolled behind the edge of a nearby building as a shot nicked the corner, sending brick flying. I turned my head to avoid the blast. Naomi, Flynn, and Grant made it over just in time to miss the second one. Bullets sprayed through the car and ricocheted off the ground, sending sparks and shrapnel through the air.

"Where the hell did he get an assault rifle?" Flynn tried to look around the corner, but Naomi pulled him back as another bullet wizzed past his face. "Thanks…"

"He's trying to kill us. He's really trying to kill us," Grant looked like he was still in shock.

"Get your head in the game, Emerson," I tried to get him out of his trance. "That's kind of the situation we're in right now."

"Yeah, well, he's not going to succeed," Naomi barked.

"Uh, guys," Grant held out his arm, his sleeve was dripping with red.

"You've been hit!" Naomi moved over to him.

"Must've caught a stray round… while we were running…," his eyes went wide as he stared at his wound, his skin going pale.

Flynn grabbed his arm and gingerly lifted it to examine the wound. "Hey, buddy. Stay with me. We got this," he said. "Shot passed clean through. You're gonna be okay," he patted Grant's shoulder.

Grant took a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself. "Yeah. You're right. You're right. I'll make it through this."

Flynn smiled. "Gotta hand it to you, Emerson, you're one tough son-of-a-bitch."

Another burst went off, this time tearing the car up. I flinched then tried to see what was going on while they bandaged Grant up with a torn sleeve. The car was leaking fluids… "Get down!" I covered Naomi, who was closest to me, as the next shot sparked the gas and oil on the ground, causing what was left of the car to explode and go flying.

"You'll stay down there if you know what's good for you!" Duffy's voice was barely heard over the roaring of the flames. "I'm finishing this tonight!"

"What do we do?" I asked.

"Grant," Naomi took charge. "You need medical attention. Go find some help, and clear the docks. We don't want anyone else getting caught in the crossfire."

"You got it," he frowned, but he stood and made his way around the alley.

"Flynn, Tanner, you're going to get on that boat," she ordered.

Flynn spun around. "How are we supposed to do that?"

She unslung the rifle from her shoulder. "I'll head up there," she pointed to a rooftop opposite the ship. "I'll provide cover fire."

Flynn nodded. "That ought to distract Duffy long enough for us to get on board."

She nodded back. "Exactly. Once you're on deck, see if you can draw him out into the open."

"Then you'll take him out," Flynn finished for her.

"That's the plan," she raised her eyebrows, hoping it would go well.

We all took a collective deep breath. Flynn took my hand. "Listen, Tanner," his eyes…

"No, _no_ , we're not having this conversation," I objected, knowing he was going to give me the 'if I die' speech.

"Just listen," he squeezed my hand. "We might not both make it through this," he started saying exactly what I didn't want to hear.

I pulled him towards me and kissed him fiercely. "None of that," I smiled. "We _will_ make it out of this," I said confidently.

"Oh yeah? How are you so certain?" he asked, a smile twitching at his face.

I pinched his cheek. "Because I'm nowhere near done kissing you," I pursed my lips. "Now, we're going to do this, and we're going to do it successfully."

He stared at me for a second. "You're amazing, you know that?" he kissed me one more time, resting his forehead on mine.

"Let's go save your sister," I whispered.

"Sounds like a plan," he whispered back with the confident smirk that looked best on him. "Let's do this."

We waited behind the building while Naomi crept her way up to the rooftop. After a few incredibly long minutes, Naomi shouted, "Hey, Duffy!" before opening fire on the deck of the ship.

"I said leave me alone, damnit!" Duffy screamed, shooting back.

"Now! Move!" Flynn whispered. We sprinted towards the ship under the cover of the remaining fire and Naomi's distraction. "Gangway or stern?" he asked as we crept closer to the ship.

"Stern is safer," I replied. We snuck through the parked cars, going unnoticed. We darted for the rigging at the ship's stern.

"Good call. He won't be able to see us back here," he agreed.

"Let's just hope Naomi keeps him busy," I took a deep breath before following Flynn up the back of the ship.

When we got onto the deck, Duffy was completely distracted. We ducked down a flight of stairs to the ship's hold and found Kate sitting at the bottom, her hands tied. "Tanner! Flynn!"

I put my finger to my mouth. "We're here to rescue you," I whispered, "but you have to stay quiet." Flynn moved to untie her hands, but I noticed something behind him. "Pierce?"

His hands were bound as well. "I suppose you'll leave me behind to die though, hmm?"

I shook my head. "Don't be ridiculous. We _need_ you now that everyone else…" I trailed off.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Flynn asked after getting Kate's hands loose.

"I was on my way out of town, when that lunatic pulled me over an put a gun to my face," he explained. "He brought me here and tied me up! Says he's going to 'end my cursed line'. What the hell did the Sterlings ever do to him?"

I shook my head. "It's a long story. Right now, we have to get you _both_ out of here, so be quiet and stay with us if you want to live," I moved to untie his hands. "Naomi's got Duffy pinned down from a nearby rooftop. If we can get him to show himself on deck, she'll take him out, so we just-," but before I could finish, Duffy came into view. _Fuck!_

"Now, now. It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs," he started towards us. "Walsh wasn't right about much, but he was right about you, Tanner. You really are a pest," he raised his rifle, aiming it straight at my head. I was getting real sick of this…

From out of nowhere, Flynn tackled him to the ground. "Stay! Down!" Flynn began wailing on him. One punch was so hard I heard Duffy's head crack against the hull. Duffy reached for his rifle, trying to point it at Flynn.

 _Shit_. I looked around and grabbed an empty bottle that was lying near a coil of rope. "Hey, Duffy!" I threw it at him and it landed right on the side of his head. Flynn grabbed the rifle from him while he was stunned.

"Enough!" he slammed the butt of the rifle into Duffy's chin before turning it around and aiming it at him. "It's over!"

The look on Duffy's face made me uneasy. He began to laugh… "On the contrary, it's just beginning," his hand slid into his pocket. I took an urgent step toward them, but stopped when he held up a metal cylinder with a red button… I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what that was. _No, no, no!_ I looked around, noticing the small gray packets of C4 placed around the cargo hold, their lights blinking.

"Oh crap…," Flynn looked more nervous than he had this whole time. We were seriously screwed.

"I'm sorry," Kate grabbed my arm. "There wasn't time to tell you…"

Duffy grinned maniacally, holding the detonator above his head as he hopped to his feet. "That's right. I've got this ship wired to blow. One press of this button, and we all go up in flames," his thumb teased the switch. "Duffy's so _dumb_ , why can't he do _anything_ right," he mocked. "Try saying that now, huh? Try saying that now!" he continued to laugh.

"Put the detonator down, Jeff," Flynn still had the gun pointed at him, but we all knew that Duffy could press the button before a shot could kill him.

"No," he snarled. " _You_ put the _gun_ down or I'll press this button, I swear to god!" _If he wants to kill everyone on this ship anyway, why even give us the option_? "It would be so _easy_ … just one little squeeze."

Flynn locked eyes with him, lowering slowly to put the rifle on the floor. "He's not bluffing, Tan," his voice cracked a bit. He was truly terrified now.

"Of course not," Duffy rolled his eyes. "I _always_ had an ed-game in mind. The Sterling line will disappear from the face of the earth, on the very ship that brought them to these shores," he smiled, looking around at us. "Admit it, it's kind of poetic."

I took a few breaths, getting my brain to start functioning again. "Duffy, you're right," I met his eyes. "The Sterlings are scum," I agreed. "I mean, the _years_ of lies Pierce told," I glanced at Flynn only for a second and gave Kate's hand a squeeze before letting her go, "the evil that he perpetrated against every single citizen of Bridgeport…"

He smirked. "So, you understand. You understand why I have to do it! Why I have to end it all!" his eyes lit up.

"I understand why you have to put a stop to Pierce's crimes," I took a step forward, "but killing Kate and her baby makes you just as bad as him, Duffy." My distraction was working. His focus was entirely on me.

"What are you talking about?" Pierce gasped. "What baby? What the hell is going on?" _You idiot!_ Pierce's voice snapped Duffy out of his enthusiastic trance.

"She's pregnant, you doddering idiot! With Tanner's… his… _spawn_!" he spat.

Pierce's eyes darted to Kate, changing Duffy's focus to where I didn't want it to be. "Kate? Is this true?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Oh my god… my son… there will be another Sterling after all," Pierce gasped. I could feel the anger in me making my body shake.

Duffy held the detonator high again. "No! It ends here," his thumb was about to push… but Pierce scrambled up onto his knees, his hands still bound behind him.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, please, Deputy! Give me a chance to make this right!" he pleaded, but it was too late for him. "What is this all about? Is it money you want? I can get you plenty of it! A fortune!"

" _Shut up_ , Pierce!" I snapped. Maybe he was okay with getting us all killed, but _I_ certainly wasn't.

Duffy squatted down in front of him. "You have no idea who I am, do you?" his voice was just above a whisper.

"You… you're… I mean…," Pierce was lost in his confusion.

"How can you not see it? How?" Duffy spat, shaking with anger to the point where his breath began to hitch. "I'm your _son_!" he shouted, still only inches from Pierce's face.

He fell back onto his ankles. "But… that… can't be. Alanis… died. Her daughter died in the fire…"

I let out a long sigh. "It was a son, not a daughter," I said when Duffy looked too furious to explain. "Nikolai saved him, Pierce. He couldn't bring himself to murder an infant."

"That's right," Duffy's lip curled. "Your mob buddy dropped me off at the hospital, like somebody's unwanted _stray_. I made him pay, though. Framed his drunk ass and put a bullet in his chest, and now… now you'll pay, too, _Daddy_ ," he hissed.

Pierce deflated. "Please… It's Jeff, right? Please, Jeff… Just… give me a chance…," he started. "What happened to you… what my wife and Nikolai did… it was terrible, but I promise you, I can still make it right," he tried to get up to his feet, slowly and cautiously making his way towards his long-lost son. _We're all gonna die._ I took a step in front of Kate, knowing it wouldn't save her, but just maybe… and braced myself for what was to come.

Duffy took a step back, looking like a cornered animal. "S… stay back," he stuttered.

"Jeff, please," Pierce continued. "Give me a chance. Your mother was my one true love. What Margret and Nikolai did to her was monstrous, but if I'd known… if I'd had any idea you were out there… I would have found you. I would have _loved you_."

Duffy's eyes began to water, his hands shaking. "No… it's too late now…"

"It's never too late for family, Jeff," Pierce sounded incredibly convincing. It was shocking to find out he might actually have a heart. "I know that better than anyone."

Duffy's resolve seemed to disappear. I shot a glance at Flynn again, begging him to go along with what I was about to do next. "Jeff," I started, "let me tell your story."

"My… my story?" he looked around his father at me.

I nodded. "I'm a journalist, Jeff. I can tell the world how wronged you were, reveal the depth of Margret's crimes, show everyone _your_ side of things," I explained. "The whole world will learn what really happened to Jeff Duffy… and they'll care." Jeff nodded. It was working, but he was still clinging to the switch.

"Jeff, I can't stop you from doing this," Pierce pleaded, "but… at least… let me die in the fresh air. Let me gaze upon the ocean one last time, with my true son by my side." He hung his head. "It shouldn't end in darkness. _You_ shouldn't end in darkness."

I nodded. "He's right. There's still so much time left. Time to put Jeff Duffy behind… and become Taylor Acosta," I said, using the name his mother had given him.

His eyes darted to me. "T-Taylor?"

"It's your birth name. The name your mother wanted you to have," I told him.

"H-how do you know that?" he was shaking, his eyes were wide, but everything else around him seemed to stop.

"It was on a toy octopus that Nikolai took from your mother's house. He kept it out of guilt," I explained.

His lip trembled. "T-Taylor… Acosta…," he said his own name several times, liking it more and more each time.

"Don't let it end like this. You've got so much left to live for," I tried to get his eyes to focus on me again.

"Y-you're right," he frowned then motioned for us to go up the stairs. "GO! Now! I'll be right behind you," he shouted. It didn't take us being told a second time. Flynn and I grabbed Kate and bolted up the stairs. When we got to the deck, I looked over to the rooftop, seeing the glint of Naomi's rifle.

"Son, listen to me," Pierce turned back to _Taylor_ after he emerged on the deck. "We still have time. You can still be a Sterling."

Taylor frowned. "I told you… it's too late."

"But don't you see? It's all yours now. Everything we've ever built. You're the next in line to the Sterling fortune," Pierce reached out to him. _Oh, you poor fool…_ I shook my head. Pierce took a step towards him when Taylor faltered. "You're my rightful heir. The child I always wanted," his hand landed on his son's shoulder. "The son I should have had. Let me hold you, my boy. Let me _be your father_." A tear ran down Taylor's cheek as he took a step towards his father. Pierce spun around, screaming at the rooftop. "Now! Shoot him now!"

"NO!" Taylor screamed just as a shot rang through the air. I turned to embrace Kate, trying to keep her from seeing more death, but I didn't hear what I thought I'd hear. I turned my head. The detonator shattered into a million pieces and Taylor was on the ground, holding his bleeding… wrist… He screamed. "You… you were lying!" he shouted up at his father.

"Of course I was lying! You really thought a sad little bastard like you could _ever_ be a Sterling?" Pierce stood tall, proud of his shitty behavior. "You killed my sons! My true heirs! You're _nothing_!" he charged at him, pushing Taylor back into an oil lamp, making it fall and shatter. Fire spread quickly across the deck.

"Oh my god!" Kate screamed.

"The bombs!" I yelled. "The fire will set them off!" I turned to Flynn. "Get her off the ship, now!"

He nodded, throwing his sister over his shoulder and taking off down the gangway. "Tanner!" Kate reached out to me when she saw I wasn't following them.

Flynn stopped and turned around halfway down. "Tanner! C'mon!" worry flashed over his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked when I glanced across the deck.

"Flynn! Get off the boat! You have flares in your pockets!" I screamed at him. "Go!" He shook his head, not wanting to leave, but ran with his sister. I bolted towards the idiots fighting on the far end of the deck, completely oblivious to the fire they'd started. They were pressed up against the wall, their hands around each other's throats. I picked up a stray board from the ground. "Hey! We're about to die here!" I brought the board down over the back of Pierce's head. He fell to the floor, rolling off of Taylor, who stared up at me in disbelief.

"You… you're helping me?" he asked, taking the hand I'd extended to him.

"I'm not letting you die, asshole. Now let's _go_!" I pulled him up hastily and shoved him towards the gangway.

"If you're going to defend him, then you'll die, too!" Pierce growled before lunging at us. I spun around quickly and planted my foot in his chest. The boards beneath him gave way and he plummeted down into the hold, screaming.

Shocked by my own actions, I grabbed Taylor's remaining hand and dragged him behind me down the gangway. The second my feet touched the docks, the ship began to explode as one charge at a time was triggered. The force pushed us forward, almost landing in the wreckage of the squad car.

"Tanner!" Flynn rushed towards me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Thank god."

"Let… me… go!" Taylor pulled his wrist out of my hand and began to make a run for it, but the butt end of a rifle caused him to crumple to the ground.

Naomi stood over him, a grim smile on her face. " _You_ have the right to remain silent."

"See how much good that does you, asshole," Flynn sneered, still holding me close to his chest.

Kate rushed over, wrapping her arms around both of us, staring at Taylor with her mouth hanging open. "He… he really… did all this…"

I threw my arm around her, holding her as close as Flynn was holding me. "I know, Katie, but it's okay. He's going to go away for a _very_ long time."

"He'll face justice for what he did," Flynn agreed. "The right kind of justice."

Within minutes, the area was lit by dozens of flashing lights and a crowd had gathered to watch the ship sink. Grant was in the back of an ambulance, his arm wrapped in bandages. Flynn sat with Kate, wrapping a trauma blanket around her as she shook, despair and horror in her eyes. Naomi and I stood next to them, just looking at the chaos and destruction.

"Tanner, Flynn, Kate… I'm so glad you guys are okay," Grant ran over to us when the EMTs said he was good to go.

Flynn smiled. "You're the one that took a bullet for us, Ivy League. We're all in your debt."

"Does that mean you'll pay my medical bills?" Grant smirked.

Flynn laughed. "You know that's not gonna happen, but I _will_ compliment your cool scar."

Katie finally smiled. "Guys… I love you, you know that? All of you."

I sat on the other side of her from Flynn and wrapped her into a protective hug. "We love you, too, Katie-bear."

"Is it really all over?" she mumbled into my chest.

I glanced over her head to the police car where Duffy… _Taylor_ … was locked in the back-seat fuming. "Almost," I whispered. "Almost."

"What happened on that ship anyway?" Naomi asked.

I shook my head. "You're not going to believe this, but for a moment, Taylor Acosta was willing to give up his whole revenge plan for the love of a father…," I frowned.

She looked confused about the name for a moment, but then it clicked in her mind. "But Pierce isn't capable of giving him that," she scowled.

"No… no he wasn't," I buried my face in Kate's hair.

Naomi sat next to me on the stone wall. "That's the real tragedy, isn't it?" she laced her fingers and leaned her elbows on her knees. "The Sterlings seemed to have it all, except the one thing that truly matters."

"Love," Kate looked up at us. She initiated a group hug and we watched together as the last of _The Endurance_ sank below the waves.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

For the next two days, the FBI were involved in wrapping up the case. We were all called in for questioning. When it was my turn, I was called into an interrogation room. It had a cold vibe to it, the tile floors, the metal table and chairs, and the two-way mirror. A man called Agent Kim came in and sat across from me. I spent the next several hours relaying everything that happened, not skipping a single detail. In that moment, I was glad that my memory was so spot on, but… I'd remember every death for the rest of my life in high definition.

As I relayed the information to him, he looked at me questioningly, stopping me every so often to ask something or clarify. At a few points, he made it seem like _I_ did it, but I pushed through and told the truth, even about my own crimes.

"So, that's everything?" he asked when I finished telling him about the ship and Taylor.

"What, aren't multiple murders, a kidnapping, an illicit lovechild, and a decades-old conspiracy enough for you?" I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms.

"I just want to make sure I haven't missed anything," he stared down at the pad he'd been taking notes on. "After all, it's an awful lot to keep track of."

I gave a quick laugh, shaking my head. "You're telling me…"

He stared at me for a while, his narrow eyes searching my face for something. After a while, he smiled. "Well then, that's a wrap," he flipped his pad back to the first page.

I sat up. "Wait, seriously?"

He nodded. "Thank you for your help, Tanner. No-one else we spoke to had such a clear idea of the entire story. You've got quite a memory there," he looked impressed. "Your information has been invaluable in drafting my report on this case."

"Really?" I leaned forward. "It seemed like you didn't believe me."

"It's my job to probe into all the details of each witness's story in order to uncover the truth," he said bluntly.

"Did my story clear the bar?" I asked, a smirk playing at the corner of my mouth.

"It did," he nodded curtly. "Our investigation, and the testimony from other witnesses, has corroborated most, if not all, of what you've told me."

I leaned back. "So… what now?"

"Once I file my official report, this case will be considered closed," he said. "Duffy has confessed to everything. The investigation is open and shut."

"So… I'm…," I started, a bit shocked that it was all over.

"Free to go," he finished. "With the thanks of the FBI. Without you, I don't know if we'd ever have worked out what happened here."

I looked at him skeptically. "So… you're not going to press charges against me?"

He chuckled. "For the breaking-and-entering and stealing evidence? I could, but given the circumstances and how much you've done in pursuit of justice… I'm willing to look the other way," he smiled. "In fact, I'd like to personally thank you." He stood and extended his hand. I sprang to my feet and shook it, still a bit thrown off. "I've never seen a civilian work a case so effectively."

"What can I say?" I smirked. "Reporters are just detectives plus ink stains, right?" I joked.

He grinned. "In your case, I think that's true. If you're ever looking for a change of pace, there's always a position open for you at the FBI," he offered.

My jaw dropped. "Wow," I struggled to find words. "Thank you," I managed to get out. "I… might just take you up on that," I said without thinking. "I mean, I'd have to give it some thought."

He smiled, handing me his card. "Thanks again, Mr. Murphy. From me, and I'd imagine from the entire town of Bridgeport. You've done a hell of a job here." I took his card, looking down at it, thoughts racing. "You're free to go," he said again.

"Free to go…," I trailed off. _Which means it's time to go home._

I left the station and headed back to the B-and-B to finish packing… _again._ I'd just started out of the lobby when Ms. Harlenay stuck her head around the corner.

"Oh, good! I was afraid I might miss you," her smile faded. "I mean… I _know_ I'll miss you," she corrected herself. "It was so nice having such a handsome young man around. You made me feel young again!" she forced herself to smile.

I walked back over to her. "Young is a state of mind," I grinned. "I'll miss you, too, Ms. Harlenay. I honestly don't know how I'd have gotten through all this without you," I took her hand.

"Oh, that reminds me," she pulled away from me and disappeared for a minute behind the counter. When she reemerged, she was holding a folded stack of clothes.

I chuckled. "I should have expected this."

"I wanted to give you this. Consider it a… souvenir of your time here," she gave it a kind pat before handing it to me.

I looked down at the smoky knit sweater and plaid button up. "Thanks," I smiled warmly. "I suppose you want me to put it on?" I joked.

"Yes, yes, go!" she shooed me off to my room. When I was done packing and changing, I trotted back down the stairs in my new clothes. " _Oooh_ , so sharp!" she squealed. Even your fancy New York friends would be wowed by that," she beamed.

I laughed. "Thanks, Ms. Harlenay. I'll think of you every time I wear it."

She sighed. "I suppose you'll be heading back to your life in New York now?"

"I guess so," I looked out the lobby window at the street. "I never though I'd say this, but I'll really miss Bridgeport… I know I wasn't here long, but I feel so connected to the place."

She nodded. "Small towns do have their charms, but I'm sure you have plenty to do in the big city."

I turned back to her. "What about you? What's next for the _infamous Miss Harlenay_?" I grinned.

She laughed. "Infamous? Hardly. Especially not now that I'll be settling down."

I raised my eyebrows. "Like… getting married? I doubt it'll settle you down," I snickered.

She beamed. "If I'm being honest, I hope it doesn't. Think of all the things I'd miss out on, and all the _people_ ," she giggled.

"So," I asked, "who's the lucky someone?"

"Samantha Winters. Have you two met?" she asked when she saw the look on my face.

" _Judge_ Winters? Yeah… we've met," I nodded, trying to work through the image of the Honorable Judge Samantha A. Winters with the care free Miss Harlenay.

"Let me tell you, she may be a mistress of the courtroom, but in the _bedroom_ , she wants _me_ to take the gavel and-," she started.

I waved my hands in front of me, unable to get the image out of my mind. "No need to go on. I get it."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It's actually quite a complicated pose when you take into account the-," I cut her off again.

"Nope! Totally good on those details," I objected. "But congrats. I'm sure you two will be happy together," I smiled.

"I know we will," she squealed, shaking excitedly.

I sighed. "I should probably get going. I need to say some goodbyes before I head out of town."

"Of course, dear," she smiled, but then held up her finger. "Oh, that reminds me. I have something else for you."

"It's not more clothes, is it?" I asked. "Because as much as I appreciate it, my luggage is full."

She shook her head. "No, no. This is completely different. Just give me a moment to dig it up," she shuffled things around on her desk, eventually finding what she was looking for. "Here. This came for you this morning. It's from the Hospital," she handed me a letter.

I opened it and skimmed it over. "It's from Nikolai!"

She nodded. "Yes, indeed. He's finally awake, I suppose."

I read the letter:

 _Dearest Tanner,_

 _I have been told that I owe you my life. A mixed blessing, I suppose, but one I am grateful for nonetheless. The police tell me I'll face trial for what I did here, that I'll likely never see the outside of a jail cell again. Good. It's what I deserve, to face justice for my crimes, and to perhaps finally find a measure of peace. I'm writing this letter to thank you for saving Katerina, for bringing order to this horrid town. You are a good person, Tanner, and in this wretched world, that means everything. Farewell._

 _Go in peace,_

 _Nikolai Petrov._

I didn't know how to react to reading that. I refolded the letter, staring at it blankly.

"A shame he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars. He was always such a looker," Ms. Harlenay shook her head in disappointment.

"I'll take your word for it," I shook my thoughts away. "Anyway, I really should head out. I'll be back in an hour or so to grab my things, then I'll head off to the airport."

She ran around the counter and pulled me into a tight hug, her eyes misty. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't," I gave her a gentle squeeze. "And thanks again, for everything." She smiled up at me before returning behind the counter, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

I caught a cab to the marina to see Kate one last time before I had to go home. When I got out, Kate was already headed towards me.

She threw her arms around me. "Tanner!"

I smiled, pulling her off the ground a bit. "It's so good to see you," I said, almost like it was the first time I really had on the whole trip. "I'm so ready for things to calm down," I put her back on the ground.

"Really? Your reporter instinct isn't itching for more drama?" she giggled.

I shook my head. "Consider the itch scratched, at least for a week or so, but right now I need a drink," I laughed. She looped her arm around mine as we started walking down the marina. I took a second to breathe in the salty air. It was hard to believe that anything bad could have happened here, but I'd never forget. "How are you doing, really? After everything…"

She frowned. "I mean… I've slept better. It helps knowing Duffy's locked up, though I'd feel better if he were somewhere a little further away," she looked uneasy.

"Maybe with one of those Hannibal Lecter masks over his creepy face?" I suggested, rubbing the back of her hand.

"Couldn't hurt!" she forced a laugh. "Honestly, though, I think I'll be okay. I'm ready to move on with my life," she looked down at her stomach, giving it a pat, "and with this little life. I can't believe how excited I am to be a mom."

I laughed. "I can't _wait_ to meet the kid that _you_ raise. Table dancing at the preschool…"

She punched me playfully in the shoulder. "Come on now. Table dancing isn't something they teach until kindergarten, at _least_ ," she joked back.

"What about Prince Charming?" I asked, wondering if she'd had to change her life goals.

She looked down at the road for a second. "I was always after a fairytale, wasn't I?" She shook her head, clearing whatever thoughts she had. "But not anymore!" she said confidently, looking up. "From here on out, I'm not waiting for someone else to make my life complete! I'm doing it on my own. For me and my baby."

I smiled. "That sounds like an even better fairytale to me."

"The parties will be way more fun, at least. None of that 'turning into a pumpkin at midnight' crap for this mama," she giggled, her hand drifting back to her stomach. "I hope you get to meet this little guy. I… I want you to be a part of our lives," she said. "I hate that we let ourselves drift so far apart, Tan," she looked sadly up at me.

"Me, too," I agreed. "I never thought that would happen to us. People move in and out of your live, I get that, but I always thought we were different, that we meant more to each other," I sighed.

"We did. We do!" she squeezed my arm. "I honestly don't know what happened."

"Life got in the way, I guess. I got a new job for a bigger company and you had your bakery," I explained. "The important thing is that we're back in each other's lives now. I won't mess that up again."

"In a _serious_ way," she giggled.

I chuckled. "Yeah, next time we want to reconnect, I vote 'tropical vacation' instead."

She laughed. "We won't let it happen again, though, right?" she looked up at me. "I mean the drifting apart? Because having you back these last few days has meant the world to me. It even made me wonder whether…," she trailed off.

"Wonder what, Katie?" I asked when she looked up at me.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I just want to make sure that from here on out, we _are_ in each other's lives. I want to make it a priority."

I threw my arm around her shoulder, holding her close as we walked. "I want that, too." She leaned against me.

We walked for a little before either one of us said anything. "So, are you going to see Flynn today?" she asked, looking sideways at me with a smirk.

I frowned. "I… I don't think so…," I said.

"What? Why?" she stopped, turning to face me. "I thought you two were getting along."

I struggled to find the words. "No, he's perfect, it's just… we said our goodbye's already and I … I can't go through that again," the face he made before I ran off his boat flashed through my mind.

She looked up at me sternly. "You _have_ to go. If you leave without saying anything, it'll only hurt more, right?" I looked away, unable to look at her eyes… they had the same eyes… "Tanner Xavier Murphy, you will go see him before you leave or so help me," she started.

I forced a laugh. "You sound like a mom already."

"Tan," she forced me to look at her. "You love him, don't you?"

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "Yeah," I replied without even thinking.

"Then you _have_ to go see him," she continued to stare at me, holding my face in her hands. "I won't let go until you say it."

I smiled. "Okay, fine. I'll go see Flynn today," I agreed reluctantly.

She smiled and skipped back to my side, draping my arm back around her. "Good," she beamed as we continued to walk. After a little bit longer, I turned to her, taking her hand in mine. "Let me guess, this is it? Time to say goodbye?" she looked like she might cry.

"No, not goodbye. This is 'see you soon'," I gave her a big smile.

She squeezed my hand. "See you soon. I like that." I wrapped her tightly in one last hug before I had to go.

I stopped by the police station to say goodbye to Naomi. The second I stepped in, I heard a loud cheer.

"Tanner! I was afraid I missed you!" Naomi beamed at me.

"Pft. As if I'd leave town without saying goodbye," I rolled my eyes with a smile, my arms wide to give her a hug. When we pulled away, her badge caught my eye. "Wait, did you?" I began to ask, pointing at the shiny star on her chest.

"Police chief? Affirmative," she was glowing. "Well, at least for the time being. Officially, I'm just the interim chief, but the state brass hinted that it might be permanent."

"Wow, Naomi, good for you!" I couldn't contain my grin. "Bridgeport is lucky to have you at the helm."

She snickered. "Not to toot my own horn, but they are, aren't they?"

"How are things going with the investigation?" I asked.

She sighed. "Well, it's a _massive_ undertaking. The FBI is investigating the Sterlings for smuggling, and affiliation with organized crime. It'll take months to unravel."

"And Bryce?" I asked, wondering if they'd found him.

She frowned. "We recovered his body yesterday… It… wasn't good."

"Well, at least we know what happened, I guess," I furrowed my eyebrows at the image my mind painted of his body. "What about the rest of the family?"

"There are some distant cousins, but no-one local's left alive," she said. "As far as Bridgeport goes, the reign of the Sterlings is over."

"Good," I said simply. "How's Taylor?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" she pointed towards the holding cells.

He looked up at me, his face immediately falling. "Tanner… What are you doing here?"

"I just came for Naomi," I said. "Seeing you behind bars is just an added bonus."

He hung his head. "Right. That… makes sense." He seemed sad.

I shook my head. "You ruined a lot of lives. Nothing can make up for that."

"It wasn't supposed to… I never… you don't understand. I never...," he looked down at his hands, letting out a long shaky breath. "It just spun out of control. I never realized how different it would be to… when I…"

" _Killed_ people? You _killed_ people, Duffy. Innocent people," I frowned, anger making my brow twitch.

"They weren't innocent!" his face hardened.

"Investigator Thompson was," I snapped back at him. "Kate was, and you tried to kill her, too."

He balled his fists, but then his shoulders dropped, like the weight of his actions had finally crashed on top of him. "You're right…," his eyes looked hollow for a moment, but then he looked up at me urgently. "Kate! Did she… I mean… she isn't…"

I shook my head. "She's alive, no thanks to you."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. She was never supposed to be part of this… you have to understand."

I held up a hand to stop him. "The only think I'll understand is that you ruined her life. You put her through hell, and for what? Revenge? Tell me… was it worth it?"

He swallowed hard, his eyes filling with tears. He shook his head. "No," his voice cracked.

"Just remember," I snapped. "Ten, twenty, and thirty years from now, when you're still in prison for what you did, it _still_ won't be enough to make up for the pain you've caused. You _murdered_ an entire family, uprooted a town."

"You're right," he agreed. 'But… will… will you tell her I'm sorry?"

I shook my head slowly. "I won't. It won't help her at all," I turned back to Naomi and we walked back towards her desk.

"By the way," she said, "we found this when we raided Jeff's apartment." She held out a leather-bound book with a string tied around it.

"Is this?" I took the book in my hands, untying the string.

"Jeff's diary," she nodded. "It chronicles everything he did; the kidnapping, the murders, all of it. It'll make the trial a slam dunk, not that we needed it." I flipped swiftly through it before handing it back, a bit of rage in my eyes. "So, what will you do now?"

I sighed. "Head back to New York, I suppose. Try to pick up where I left off," I shrugged.

"And turn in the story of a lifetime to your editor," she grinned.

I let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that too."

Her smile faded a bit. "I'll miss you, Tanner," she said. "Meeting you… well, it opened me up to people again. I didn't even realize how badly I needed that," she frowned sadly. "Thanks for that. Thanks for everything. Without you… I don't know where I'd be right now. You helped me remember who I am, and the right path to take."

"I'm the one who should be thanking _you_ , Naomi," I grinned. "You didn't give up for a second, even when it seemed hopeless. You don't give yourself enough credit."

She smiled and waved her hand. "Okay, we need to stop before I start bawling. _Not_ the look I need in my first week as Chief," she laughed.

"Fair enough," I smiled back at her.

"You'll stay in touch, right? We're really not that far from New York," she said.

I nodded. "Absolutely. After all, I'm gonna need to find my _next_ story-of-a-lifetime somewhere, and what better group of people to do it with than you guys?" I gave her a huge hug, rocking back and forth to make us both laugh before I took my leave.

The next stop was the Emerson mansion. I didn't even knock before the doors swung open.

"I said delivery should be-," Grant seemed a bit irritated, but when he saw me, he grinned. "Oh! Hey, Tanner!"

"Who did you think was at the door?" I laughed. "This town may be small, but people can't just randomly drop in _that_ often."

"Fair enough," he laughed. "We're quaint, but it's not the 50's." He opened the door wider, inviting me in. "As it happens, I was waiting on some important papers from the town council. The courier should have been here hours ago," he explained.

"Sorry to disappoint," I joked, walking passed him into the manor.

"On the contrary, you're the best surprise I've had in days," he closed the door behind me. "Sorry for the mess." Every surface was covered in stacks of papers and file folders.

"Wow, you've been busy," I looked around.

He tilted his head, letting out a quick breath. "That's putting it lightly. With the Sterlings… well… out of the picture, the town is desperate for leadership. Scarlett and I are trying to step up and fill the void."

I raised an eyebrow. "That sounds overwhelming. Aren't you worried you'll be spread too thin?"

"Honestly… yes," he let out a longer breath. "But I love this town, and if I can do anything to help it heal after everything that's happened, I will."

I smiled. "Just make sure to slot in a couple hours for 'sleep' on your calendar, okay?"

He laughed. "I'll do my best." After a second, he asked, "Hey, do you want a cup of coffee? I can take a break from this for a few minutes," he gestured towards the bar in the living room.

"That'd be nice," I nodded, sitting on the couch while we went to poor two mugs. When he sat back down next to me, I raised my mug. "To the man who doesn't have time to sleep," I joked.

"This is the next best thing," he laughed. "Especially with the jet fuel _I_ brew." We both took long sips. "I know you're leaving, but before you go, can I just thank you?"

I sighed. "I was wondering when that was coming," I muttered into the rim of the mug. He looked up at me, questioningly. "That just seems to be the theme of the day. I didn't actually do much, but everyone seems to think I'm a hero today for some reason."

"Are you kidding?" he put his mug down and turned to me. "You've done _so_ much since you got here. Not just because you helped unravel the mystery, but you helped me break out of my shell," he grinned. "I've always kept to the straight and narrow, done things by the book, but this whole time… This was the wildest time I've ever had. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Yeah… sorry about your boat," I smiled guiltily, but he waved it off.

"Don't even worry about it," he said.

"Will you be getting _Grantmobile 2.0_ in the future?" I joked.

"Maybe," he laughed. His phone buzzed. He picked it up, but looked disappointed before putting it back down.

"I should go. This looks important. You should get back to it," I stood up, putting the mug on the table in front of me.

"I really should," he stood with me. "Thanks for stopping by, Tanner. Will… will I hear from you again?"

I smiled. "Absolutely. After all, it's not every day you form a Scooby Doo team with a bunch of small-town strangers," I teased.

"Well, I would sure hope not," he laughed. We said our last goodbyes and I left him to his work.

This next goodbye was the one my heart couldn't handle, but I'd promised Katie I'd go… It was already dark by the time I got to Flynn's boat. I took a deep breath before stepping onto the houseboat.

"Knock, knock?" I tapped on the door.

I saw his head poke out from around the corner through the window. "Tanner!" he was all smiles when he opened the door.

"Hi, Flynn," I smiled weakly.

His eyes trailed down my body. "You really know how to go out with a bang, don't you?" he grinned. I rolled my eyes. "Come in, I'm just finishing up a thing."

"A thing?" I asked, stepping into the living area. There were papers everywhere… almost as messy as Grant's place. Flynn's laptop was balancing for dear life on the edge of the couch. "What's this?" I couldn't help but smile when I saw his hair was just as messy. "Writing your memoirs?" I joked.

"You're the writer, not me," he smiled. "Besides, it'd be premature. The next chapter is gonna be the most interesting," he said as he tried to tidy up, overthinking the stacking of his papers.

"And that chapter would be?" I asked, enjoying seeing him so unorganized.

He sighed, standing up straight. "Promise you won't laugh." I crossed my heart. "I'm trying to apply for a job."

I raised my eyebrows. "That's fantastic! What's the job?"

He was quiet for a moment, but eventually said, "An officer on Chief Silverhawk's force."

My jaw dropped. "No way! You're switching sides!" I teased. "I've heard of going straight, but this is pretty next level."

"Who'd have thought we'd ever see the day, right?" he shrugged, looking half embarrassed and half proud.

"I think you're perfect for it," I smiled warmly.

"You really think?" he looked up at me.

I nodded. "Of course. If nothing else, you know how the criminals think, right?" I smirked.

"Not sure that's something I should mention on the application," he grinned. "Anyway, Naomi thought I'd be good at it… and, well… _I_ think I'd be good at it," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Working together to find Kate… it was… amazing. It made me want to use what I know to do some _good_ for once."

"She's going to make an honest man out of you after all, huh?" I chuckled. "But really, Flynn. I think it's fantastic."

He beamed. "Yeah, well… maybe I'll call you up if we ever get another case worthy of a writeup in a fancy New York newspaper," he grinned, looking as excited as a kid who just won a race against his friends.

"You better call me up for more than just that," I tried to smile, but it fell off my face like hot wax.

He frowned just as hard. "Damn. I'm really gonna miss you, Tanner."

"I'll miss you, too, Flynn." _No. Don't make this sad. Not again._ "New York isn't so far away," I forced myself to smile. "And I'll definitely be back to visit."

"Sure, but," he started, not feeling any better about it, "it won't be the same."

My fake smile faded just like the first one. "No. No it won't."

This time _he_ forced a smile, changing the subject. "Not much is going to be the same around here. I mean, can you imagine me as an uncle?" he grinned.

"Absolutely," I chuckled. "The one who convinces his niece or nephew to get into all kinds of trouble, but also teaches them to deal with bullies and fix a bike," I joked.

"I can't wait for that," he beamed. "Kate'll never know what hit her."

"Especially if her kid turns out anything like you. She'll have her hands full," I added, making us both laugh. My watch beeped, telling me it was time to wrap it up. I frowned heavily, all the emotions catching up to me. "I should… get going to the airport," I started, feeling my heart sink. "But, Flynn," I looked up at him, "thanks… for everything."

He shook his head. "Thank _you_ , Tanner. This last week… it's been more important to me than you can even imagine."

"I dunno. I've got a pretty big imagination," I looked sadly at him, feeling the same. I noticed that we'd both been keeping our distance, scared that if we got any closer, we wouldn't be able to say goodbye. After too many seconds of silence, I lost my resolve. _Fuck it._ I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder.

His arms held me tightly, like he didn't want to let go. "I'm going to miss you so much," he whispered, his lips touching my ear.

"Me, too," was all I could say before I felt a tear escape down my cheek. When we pulled away, barely, he wiped my face with his thumb then pulled me into a deep kiss. I didn't want it to end, but I knew I had to go. "I got a new phone," I mumbled into his lips as we separated. "Even if you don't need me, call me?"

He nodded and kissed my forehead. Before I stepped back outside, he said, "Goodbye, Tan."

"Goodbye, Flynn," I bit hard on the inside of my cheek and forced myself back onto the docks. I hopped back in the cap that had been waiting for me, trying hard not to let another tear out until he couldn't see me anymore.

I picked up my bags from the B-and-B, and was about to get back into the cab. _It hasn't been more than a week, but this place is really starting to feel like home_. I looked around the street I'd walked down every morning for the past several days. _Can I really leave like this?_ The cabby looked up at me and cleared his throat. On a moment of instinct, I told him to take me back to the docks.

I bolted out of the cab and back to Flynn's boat.

"Tanner? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Flynn asked, standing out on the deck.

I shook my head, frozen in place for a moment. "I… I don't want to go!" I said, just as shocked by my words as he was. "I don't want to go," I said again, breathlessly this time.

"Are you serious right now?" he asked, stepping onto the pier.

Finally, my brain came back to me. _Wow, I just did that._ "Actually," I smiled, "it's all an elaborate prank. One of those 'leave and comeback just to leave again' things. Comedy gold," I smiled uncontrollably.

"Who hasn't pulled that one at least once before," he smiled happily. "Seriously though, you mean it?" he looked up at me.

I nodded. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I want to stay here… with you," I felt my face flush, but I couldn't look away from him. "These last several days have been beyond wild… it's been scary and awful and violent and terrifying… but I wouldn't change a minute of it because it let me get to know you and… I love you," I let the last part slip, immediately wanting to reverse it in case he didn't feel the same.

"Tanner…," he started, and I could feel my heart sink, the fear of rejection growing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-," I shook my head, but he pulled me into a kiss. It was long and a bit sloppy, but it made me happy. "Does this mean I can stay?" I asked, resting my forehead on his.

He laughed. "Yes, you idiot," he pulled away and pointed towards the taxi. "Now go get your bags before the driver takes off with them." I beamed, wiping a happy tear from my cheek before running over to the cab to get my stuff and pay the cabby for his time. Flynn helped me carry my bags onto the boat, but before we could even get inside, his arms were around me again.

"You feel so right," he whispered. Normally, I'd get on his case about being so cheesy, but I loved it.

"Funny, you feel exactly the same way," I pulled back just enough to kiss him.

We stayed like that for a while before he whispered, "You know, I meant it when I said you were the best thing that ever happened to me. That was true even when I thought you were leaving." He grinned from ear to ear. "I never thought you might _stay_. That just seemed too good to even imagine."

I chuckled. "Looks like your wish came true," I pecked his lips one more time.

"Roof?" he asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. We climbed up to the top of the boat, sitting on the blanket. I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm never going to get tired of this view," I whispered, looking between him and the stars.

"Well, good, because you're going to be seeing a lot of it," he grinned, wrapping his arm around me. He looked down at me. "So, what're you going to do in Bridgeport?"

I tensed up. "I dunno… I didn't really have time to think about it on the five-minute taxi drive down here," I closed my eyes, trying to imagine my life here for the first time. "Maybe I'll just stay in bed all day with you," I joked.

"Is that so?" he beamed.

"I mean, realistically, there are still so many positions we have to try," I tried to keep a straight face.

"Alright then. I'll take that as a challenge," he winked, making me lose my composure. I couldn't imagine myself happier.

"Seriously, though," I said, calming myself down. "There's going to be a lot to figure out. I know that much, but if I'm here with Kate and her baby, friends like Emerson and Naomi, and _you_ ," I lingered on the idea, "thing's will be okay."

We kissed, putting so much into it that we fell backwards onto the roof. It seemed like it went on forever. Flynn held me close to him, my hand resting on his chest. "I love you, Tanner," he whispered, making my heart skip.

"I love you, too," I smiled, unable to contain my happiness.

During the next few months, I did a full transition from my studio apartment in the city to a one bedroom in town. I wrote my exposé, the final submission to my editor in New York. It told the back story of all that had happened, from Pierce's infidelity to just after the FBI closed their case. Nikolai became a State's witness and served as an informant to the FBI, providing details about the NY branch of the Russian mob. His tips resulted in the arrest of several major bosses, _and_ the dismantling of the organization. After that, he disappeared into the witness protection program. I don't know where he ended up, but I hope he found his measure of peace. Duffy was sentenced to nine consecutive life sentences in a maximum-security ward, where he's said to be a model inmate. _Mrs._ Harlenay sold her bed-and-breakfast to travel the world with her new wife, Samantha Winters. Last I'd heard, they were in Brazil on a parade float. The pictures she sent me made my day each time.

Flynn joined the Bridgeport P.D. and spent a year becoming the best Deputy, but I may be a little biased. In addition to that, he's the greatest uncle I've ever seen. Naomi was appointed Chief of the Bridgeport P.D. and crime slowed to record lows immediately after. She raves about how much she loves her job every day. Grant went on to be a much better lawyer, helping anyone and everyone he could, often taking on pro bono cases, but it wasn't long before he set his sights higher. He wanted to do more, help more. He said something greater was calling him. I wouldn't put it past him to run for office in the near future. He might even consider moving to New York to take over late Senator Vega's open seat. Katie's life finally got back on track. Her bakery grew more popular by the day, so she opened three additional locations. The sparkle of our eyes, my godchild, little Rachel O'Malley, turned one recently and is the happiest child I've ever seen.

As for me, I stayed in Bridgeport with Flynn. I spend most of my days walking along the coastline, enjoying the wind in my face and getting inspiration for things to write. I decided to be a free-lance reporter, traveling around the New England area when a good story blew my way. The more time I spent with little Rachie, though, the more I wanted to write stories for her. Who knows what the future holds. As of now, this is my life. Thank you all for listening to my story. Calm seas and fair winds. Tanner Murphy, signing off.

 _ **Fin**_


	17. Extra!

Veil of Secrets: Who Can I Trust? - Extra - _Surprise!_

"Don't worry, little one. I'll be home in a few hours," I smiled into my phone at the little red-headed girl on the other end of the video chat.

"Fly safe," she made a grabby hand towards me, tapping the camera a bit.

I beamed. "Awe, did your mommy teach you to say that?" I was so proud of how well versed she was at only 3 years old. She nodded. "You're so cute, Rachie," I wrinkled my nose, adoring my godchild.

"Isn't she?" I heard a warm yet rough voice in the background. Flynn crept up behind his niece and scooped her up, making plane noises as he moved her around in the air. She giggled.

"You're cute, too, Uncle Flynn," I teased, feeling an overwhelming happiness in my chest. I looked at the time code on my phone. "I have to go. The plane is boarding soon."

He put Rachel down and picked up his sister's phone, holding it up so his face took up most of the screen. His beard and hair had grown out a bit since I'd been gone. He looked a bit like a wrestler, but the brown curls made his gentle blue eyes stand out even more. "Get home soon," he smiled weakly. "It's not just the little one that misses you."

"Awe," I smirked, "I knew Grant liked me." It was too fun to tease my boyfriend. He glared playfully, pursing his lips. I laughed. "I miss you, too, Flynn." I looked up at the flight attendant desk. They'd started boarding first class and specialty passengers. I only had about three minutes until my section was called.

"Get going already," I saw his cute smile when I looked back at my phone. "Don't you have a plane to catch?"

I sneered. "I've got three minutes," I stuck my tongue out. "But seriously, I can't wait to be home. It's been interesting here, but I don't think the city is my style anymore," I looked out of the window at the city just across the runway.

Flynn gasped. "What? Are you telling me we finally got you used to a small town?" he teased.

"Yeah. I guess you did," I smiled at him, making him blush. He was still so adorable when he blushed. "Bridgeport is home now. Not just because I hang my hats there, but because that's where most of my most important people are."

He was quiet for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck and stared passed the phone at whatever Rachie and Kate were doing on his end. "Just… get home soon."

I smirked. "As soon as I can, promise," I blew him a kiss. "Love you," I said before my thumb hovered over the 'end call' button.

"Wait!" Kate practically snatched the phone from her brother. "That thing we talked about," she looked at me with stern eyes, "did you think about it?"

I looked away, busying myself with gathering my things. "Can we talk about that when I get back?" I asked, but I really wanted to avoid the subject…

She huffed and pointed at me. "Fine, but we _will_ have that talk."

"Talk about what?" Flynn asked, picking up his niece in the background and setting her on his shoulders. She pulled at the long wavy strands of hair at the top of his head, but he didn't seem to mind.

I waved it off, though I knew it would make him suspicious. "It's-"

"None of your business, Flynn," Kate kept her eyes on me as she swatted the air behind her at him. "It's best friend stuff, not brother stuff."

He shrugged cynically. "Oh, my bad. Sorry for asking," he said, turning away from us and dancing out of view with his hands on Rachel's ankles.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Okay, okay," I surrendered. "I really have to go, though. I'll be home in like," I checked my watch, calculating the flight and drive time, "three hours."

"Okay. Fly safe," she smiled. "Love you! _Byyyeee_!" she waved at the phone.

I returned her smile. "Love you, too, Katie-bear. Bye." I hung up and jumped into the line to board.

Three years had passed since I'd started living in Massachusetts. These last few weeks, I'd been chasing a story in Maryland to uncover the corruption of a local judge. He'd involved himself with a House Representative's wife and caused quite the scandal. Turns out that she'd been swaying his decisions towards her husband's political views. I'd enjoyed picking up a case every now and then. Since the paper had run my article on Bridgeport's internal issues, I'd gotten calls and emails asking me to look into other issues in the area, a few of which I took. I felt like a P.I. It was pretty cool, but I did miss home a lot. Especially when a lead kept me away for more than a week or two.

As the plane took off, I watched the skyline of Baltimore grow smaller and smaller. When we leveled off, I took out my laptop and began working on a short story I'd been writing for Rachel, complete with pictures and hidden life values. This one was about a boy who wanted to find a beautiful horse to race in the local derby. The winner would get a load of prize money that he wanted to use to pay for his sister's surgery to help her walk again after an incident in their barn, but his father had sold all of the horses off to keep his children safe. Determined to win the race, the boy had to acquire his own horse, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and learning to be an adult.

The flight was short, but I still had an hour drive back to Bridgeport. I strapped my suitcase onto the back of my bike and darted off towards home. Yes, Flynn had convinced me to get a motorcycle, not that he needed to. I loved his bike, but it was an adventuring bike and grocery shopping proved difficult with just a backpack. I found myself a touring bike with a bunch of space and saddle bags. Kate didn't approve, since she had us babysit often. She was scared we'd take Rachel out on a ride in one of those back-strap baby carriers… I'm sure Flynn tried and that's why she got upset, but I usually just took a cab or walked if I was watching her. We didn't live too far from each other now that Flynn and I had an apartment. He still had the boat, but it was more of a get-away than a house now. If either one of us needed space to think, work, or breathe, we'd go down to the docks… or… you know… _other_ things that we also enjoyed doing on the waves.

It was late when I got home, about 6 pm. I pulled into the parking lot behind our building and found Flynn just getting off his own bike. I parked beside him as he pulled the cover from wheel to wheel. I dismounted the bike, but before I could even put my helmet down, he had me in his arms.

"I missed you, Tan," he put his forehead to mine, his lips hovering only an inch away.

"I missed you, too," I closed the distance, giving him the kiss I knew he wanted. It was gentle, but lasted for quite a while. "Did you just get back from Katie's?" I asked when we finally pulled apart.

He nodded. "Yeah. The little one was starting to fuss, so she kicked me out."

I pulled away from him. "And here I thought you came to see me," I teased as I pulled my suitcase off the back of the bike.

"Well, I mean… that too," he smirked, taking it from my hand. "Is this everything?" he asked, looking between my backpack and the suitcase.

I nodded. "Yeah. Nothing special this time," I admitted. In the past, I'd brought home souvenirs or something, but this trip wasn't quite as exciting. We started up to our third-floor apartment, bumping shoulders as we walked.

"I'm so glad you're home," he said when we got in.

I looked around. Not a lot had moved since I'd left. "Did you stay on the boat this whole time?" I asked, curiosity biting at me as I saw the dust on the side table.

"Uh…," he started, throwing my suitcase on the bed, "not the _whole_ time…"

I stopped and watched him fidget with the zipper. "Flynn," I tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away. "Babe," I tried again.

"Fine!" he crossed his arms and stared at the floor, his face turning pink in irritation… or embarrassment? "It… it gets _lonely_ here when you're gone."

"Oh, Flynn," I wrapped my arms around him from behind. "I'll make my trips shorter."

He shook his head. "No, I'd never want you to do that. It's just…," he sighed, putting his hand on mine. "This is _our_ place and with out you it feels too big, like I'm missing something… so I stay on the boat unless Kate or the little one are here."

I kissed his neck. "You… your heart is too big for your own good," I blushed, resting my chin on his shoulder. "I love you, Flynn O'Malley."

He leaned his cheek into mine for a second before composing himself. "Are we going to unpack or what?" he started unzipping my bag, but I stopped his hand with my own.

"That can wait," I moved the suitcase to the floor then kissed him passionately.

"What's that for?" he smirked.

"Honey, I'm home," I whispered, resting my forehead against his, my hands caressing either side of his neck.

He let out a breathless chuckle. "Welcome home," he whispered back as he pulled my hips closer to him. We kissed again, the urgency to touch each other after three weeks of separation growing. "Get on the bed," he ordered as he slid my jacket from my shoulders to the floor. I nodded and did as I was told.

The night was long, but fun. In the morning, I woke up to the sun streaming through the curtains onto my face, which was pressed into Flynn's chest, his arms wrapped firmly around my head, even as he slept. I looked at my watch. It was already 10. _As much as I enjoy this…_ "Flynn," I kissed at his collarbone, but he didn't move. "Babe, wake up," I looked up at his peaceful face. I had to pester him. " _Flyyynnn_ ," I hummed, pulling at individual hairs in his beard. "You should shave," I said mostly to myself, twisting a couple of the longer hairs around my finger. He wrinkled his nose before burying his face in my hair. "Flynn," I chuckled tiredly, "don't you have work today?"

He groaned. "What's today?"

"Tuesday," I told him, feeling his arms tense around me as I spoke.

"Shit," he said under his breath, but didn't make any progress towards getting up.

I traced his abs with my finger, making him almost purr. My hand slid down his warm skin to his bare cheek. "We should get up," I suggested. When he didn't respond, I poked him, making his eyes shoot open as he squirmed out of my reach.

"Okay, okay, fine. None of that," he swatted my hand away playfully. I snickered as he pulled himself out of bed and started his daily routine. I couldn't help but stare at his figure as he cracked the curtains, flooding the room with daylight. I propped my head up on my hand. "What?" he looked over his shoulder.

I bit my lip. "Nothing," I lied. _Look at that booty. He's so sexy._

He smirked. "Like what you see?"

"It's my favorite view," I rolled onto my stomach, holding my chin up with my palms.

He turned back towards me and kneeled down at the edge of the bed. "And this is mine," his eyes scanned my face. He gave me a quick kiss before heading into the bathroom.

I groaned and rolled onto my back, covering my face with my hands. "Ugh, when did this relationship get so cheesy?"

"When it started," he said from around the corner with a laugh.

"Hey, while you're in there," I rolled off the bed and leaned against the doorframe, watching him comb his hair with his fingers, "shave the beard."

He grinned. "You don't like it?"

I smirked. "Oh, don't get me wrong, it's hot… but it scratches a bit, Jon Snow," I teased. He couldn't hold back his proud smile at the nickname I'd given him three years ago. He leaned against the other side of the doorframe, our faces only inches apart. "I'm serious. It's like a scouring pad down there," I rubbed my lower back.

He curled his lip. "Fine, but I won't go full baby-face."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't do that. The stubble is too sexy to shave off," I pulled gently at the hairs on his chin before kissing him.

When he came out of the bathroom, his face was nice and cleaned up. He had a hand towel around his neck and a full-sized towel loosely hung around his hips. "Better?"

I looked up from putting on my socks and bit my lip. All I could do was nod. "It's not fair to come out looking like that on a work day," I scolded him. It took everything I had to not make him even later to work. He smirked as he started to pull on the pieces of his uniform.

He and I left together. I wanted to stop in to see Naomi before I went to see Kate. When we walked into the station, the sound of a tapping foot echoed through the room.

"O'Malley, you're late," her tone was sharp, but not harsh.

"I know, Chief, but I have a good reason," he moved out of the way and her brows shot up.

"Tanner!" she smiled as Flynn crept off to his desk, using me as his distraction.

I pulled her into a quick hug. "Hey, Naomi."

She crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk. "How did the case go?"

I shrugged. "Just some sexual misconduct between a judge and a representative's wife to sway his decisions towards a few cases. You know, same old boring stuff," I summed it up.

"There's scum everywhere, huh?" her upper lip pulled up in disgust as she shook her head.

"Not here," I smiled. "Not anymore anyway. Have I ever mentioned you guys are doing a terrific job? 'Cause you are."

She rolled her eyes. "Flattery won't get your boyfriend off scot-free," she smirked.

I swung my fist. "Darn. I thought for sure that would do the trick," I joked. "I'm serious, though. You've done wonders as Chief. This town has been the light of my life for three years now. We should rename it Pleasantport."

She beamed and looked down at her feet. "Thanks. That means a lot," she looked over at Flynn, who was trying his darnedest to look busy. "It's easier to do when you have good people on the force," she said. "You know, when they actually show up on time."

"Hey," Flynn spun around in his chair. "I'm here, aren't I?"

I laughed. "It is my fault, though, Naomi. I made him shave before we left."

"Thank god you did. He was starting to look like a caveman," she said loud enough for him to hear. He pursed his lips then turned back to his computer. "In all seriousness," she spoke lowly this time, "he's a bit… off… when you're not around. He's focused and doesn't fool around, but he's also kind of a bummer, if you know what I mean." I gave a weak smile, not sure what to say. "That is until he calls you in the middle of a shift," she shook her head with a grin.

I laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I seem to get him in trouble a lot."

She waved off my apology. "It perks him right up. It's the only reason I don't get on him about it. And he still does his job, even if he's distracted," she smirked.

"Speaking of, I should probably get going," I smiled, knowing I was being an even bigger distraction now.

"Want to go out for drinks this weekend?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I nodded before turning to leave. "Alright, I'm off," I waved a brief goodbye. As I reached for the door, Flynn grabbed my wrist and spun me around, planting one last kiss before I left. "Have a good day, Deputy," I grinned.

"You, too, Mr. Murphy," he saluted me with a smirk as the door closed between us.

As soon as I finished grabbing something to eat from the deli near the station, I headed over to Kate's apartment. She answered the door with a huge smile and a little girl on her hip, taking up half of her petite frame.

"Tanner!" she beamed, holding the door open for me to come in.

"Hey, Katie," I gave her a side hug and a quick kiss on the head before turning my attention to my godchild. I snagged her from her mom and gave her several face kisses. "And hi to you, too, little one!" I gave her an Eskimo kiss, making her giggle.

"Hi, Tan!" she poked my nose like she always did when I showed up. "Did you fly here?"

I nodded. "I did, yeah. I took a big airplane from far away and now I'm here," I smiled when I saw Kate's face. She adored us.

"Did… did you get lots of peanuts?" she asked, her fingers twirling through her long curly red hair.

"I did! You wouldn't want any, would you?" I pulled out a pack of peanuts from my pocket. She nodded excitedly. "Wait, but you don't like peanuts, do you?" I teased.

"No, I do! I really do!" she reached out for them, but I held them just out of her reach.

"Oh, well if that's the case, you can have them if your mommy says it's okay," I looked expectantly at my best friend.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. "I guess it's fine. It was time for snacks anyway," she grinned.

I put Rachie down. "Alright, you heard the lady. Let's go eat these," I started towards the kitchen, dragging Rachel behind me since she wouldn't let go of my jeans. "Are you going to share?"

She shook her head. "No, you already had some!" she looked up at me, outraged.

"You're right. I did, but these just look so yummy," I poured the small bag into one of her snack cups and kneeled down next to her, pretending to pour the bag into my mouth.

"No! I wanted those!" she grabbed my arm as I chewed the imaginary peanuts.

"Oh, my bad. They're all gone," I said then opened my mouth to show her. She looked so sad until I held out the cup. "No wait, here they are." She looked between me and the cup like I'd performed magic. I loved toddlers. They're so easy to impress.

When she took off to the living room with the snack, I stood and threw the trash away. Kate was leaning against the wall with a pleased smile. "Welcome home, Tan," she said softly.

I pulled her into a big hug. "Happy to be home, Katie-bear."

She pushed me away after a while. "Okay, now we talk," she said, pulling me by the wrist to the couch.

I sighed, knowing where this was going, but before I could object, Rachie crawled up into my lap, peanut cup in hand. "Uncle Tan, I drew a picture," she pointed to a paper on the coffee table. It was a crayon drawing of Rach, her mom, Flynn, and me standing next to a boat. It must have been a memory from a month or so prior when we took her to the spot under the docks during low tide. The sky in the picture was as orange as it was when we left that night. Rach was holding her mom's hand and Flynn, who was drawn relatively shorter than me, was holding mine. I laughed. Between our heads were purple hearts.

"This is brilliant. Good job, little one," I patted her head and she grinned proudly. I put the picture back on the table and wrapped one arm around my godchild, resting the other elbow on the back of the couch. "He's so short," I mouthed with a smile.

Kate giggled. "No, you're just overly-tall," she jabbed back.

"I am not," I objected. "You two are just tiny."

"No," Rach looked up at me. "You're too tall," she agreed with her mom.

I tickled her belly. "Well, maybe your whole family is just cursed to be small," I countered. It was like the realization of her own height finally hit her. Her jaw dropped.

"I'll never get bigger?" the thought scared her.

Kate laughed. "You'll only get tall if you eat your veggies," she said. _By that logic, she hasn't had a salad in ages._ She looked back up at me. "Flynn," was all she said.

"What about him?" I asked, playing dumb. We'd had part one of this conversation already.

She stared blankly at me. "You know exactly what I'm about to say to you."

I sighed. "Okay. I gave it some thought," I shifted uncomfortably. "We're happy the way things are, Katie. I've already gotten my Happily Ever After just being here," I gestured around me, "in this town, with people I care about. I don't need a ring on my finger to be excited every day I wake up here."

She looked down at her hands. "Have you talked to _him_ about it?"

I froze. I hadn't really. Not in a long time, anyway. We'd thrown some ideas around when we were first looking for an apartment together, but we'd decided, albeit with jokes, that it wasn't necessary for us to have that. We were comfortable with what we were, or at least I _thought_ we were. "Did… did he say something to you?"

She chewed her cheek. "Not in so many words," she admitted. "He's happy now, sure, but… and I never thought I'd say this… I think he wants more."

I looked down. "Oh." Suddenly, an uneasiness washed over me. One of the reasons we'd laughed off the idea of getting married was because Katie didn't. We didn't want to rub our happiness in her face after such a tragedy, but how in the world could I tell her that?

She put her hand on mine. "Talk to me," she said softly.

I sighed. "I love him," I started. "I mean, I _really_ love him. These past three years have been amazing…," I faltered, "well… except that first part… but he's got such a big heart under that snarl. He'd do _anything_ to make the people around him happy. Now I'm worried that he might be avoiding the subject for _my_ sake, but…," I stopped.

"But what?" she cajoled.

I was quiet for a moment. "I'll talk to him about it," was all I said.

I spent the whole week trying to find the right time to ask. Flynn came home from work at about six or seven every night when he didn't have the late-night shift. Our time after that was spent watching TV together or sleeping immediately depending on how long the day was. I knew I had to ask before we went out for drinks that weekend. If I had something on my mind, I'd drink too much and spill the beans in a way I didn't mean to, so it had to happen now.

We were watching a horror film that Friday night. I had my legs over his and could feel every jump scare get to him, even though he'd never admit it. I smiled. He was so adorable. He was tough on the outside but a soft gummy bear within. The kids had just escaped from the creepy shed and were now being pursued by the cereal killer with the chainsaw. I guess there wasn't really an _ideal_ time to ask someone if they'd consider marrying you even though you'd both already laughed at the idea…

"Do you think Kate is happy?" I looked down at my hands.

He paused the movie and looked up at me. "What do you mean?"

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "Do you think she's doing alright? I mean…," I couldn't think of how else to phrase it, "do you think… would it be okay if _we_ were happy?"

His brows lowered as he contemplated what I was asking. "We _are_ happy, aren't we?"

I nodded sporadically. "Yeah, of course. I've never been this happy… it's just… do… you think we could be _happier_?" I asked.

He took my hand. "What are you asking?" he was trying to get me to say it. I could see that look in his eyes.

"Would it be okay if we re-evaluated our prior outlook on potentially making this relationship more serious?" I asked quickly, picking at my thumb with my index finger.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" he stared intently at me. I couldn't read him, and it made me nervous.

"Maybe? I mean, I was just wondering if…," I lost the words.

"Are you an idiot?" I bit down hard on the side of my mouth upon hearing those words. "Nothing would make me happier than marrying you."

My heart ached as his words hit me. "Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded, taking both of my hands in his.

"I mean, we talked about this a while ago and we both just joked it off, so I wasn't sure how you felt about it or if your feelings on it had changed, and Katie was in such a bad place, but I think she's doing well now, so-," I stopped when he put a finger to my lips.

"You're rambling," he smiled, nothing but love in his eyes. "Kate is fine. I don't think a bone in her body would be mad at us for finding happiness," his thumbs traced circles on my hands. "Honestly, I've been thinking about it a lot, too."

 _She was right._ I held his hands up to my face and kissed them. "I love you, Flynn. I can't even describe how wonderful my life has been since you've been in it."

"I love you, Tanner," he leaned his forehead forward. I let one leg fall onto the ground as the other shifted around him, allowing me to lean into him. His hands left mine and caressed my neck and jawline. We kissed in such a way that the world seemed to disappear. My whole existence seemed meaningless without Flynn O'Malley holding me.

When we finally broke apart, I asked, "This doesn't mean we're engaged, does it? 'Cause this was a weird way to go about it if it does."

"Remember how we met? Weird is kind of our thing," he laughed and kissed my nose then my forehead, lingering on the latter for a while. "But I don't want to move forward just yet," he said. "I want the timing to be perfect," he rubbed my cheek and I leaned into him automatically. "It may take a little while longer, but I promise I want this, too." I nodded in his hand.

We started the movie back up and I laid my head on his lap. I was so caught up in my nervousness that I'd worn myself out and fell asleep with his warm hand rubbing my shoulder.

Nearly a month later, I was interrupted while finishing the final touches of my new story for Rachie by a knock on the door. "Hell-… Audrey!" I scooped up my sister in the biggest hug I could have ever given anyone. "What are you doing here?" I asked, setting her back down on the ground.

"Hi, baby bro," she beamed. "I figured it was about time I paid you a visit."

"Holy… wow… this is a welcome surprise," I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm not hallucinating, am I?"

She pursed her lips and punched my arm. "Did that feel like a hallucination?"

I laughed. "Nope. Wow, you're here," I hugged her again. We hadn't seen each other in almost five years. "Oh, come in, come in. Sorry for the mess," I began frantically cleaning up my papers. I had sketches and rough drafts scattered everywhere, not to mention Flynn left his socks everywhere. I swear, the man just came in and the socks flew right off in whatever direction.

"Stop fussing. You're fine," she giggled, looking around. "This is a nice place you've got here."

"Uh, thanks," I stood up straight, trying not to continue straightening, but I couldn't help it. "We think so, anyway." I gestured towards the couch. "Sit, please."

She looked skeptically at our sofa. "You and your boytoy haven't… you know…," she made a hand motion that made me blush, "on the couch, have you?"

"If that's what you're worried about, nowhere in this apartment is safe for you," I joked. "But if it helps any, we usually put a blanket down first." She gave a slightly disgusted sigh, but sat down. I sat on the arm of the chair across from her. "So, what brings you up here? Why now of all times?"

She shrugged. "Can't I just visit because I miss you?" I raised my eyebrow. "Fine. Aaron is visiting his dad with the kids, so I wanted to take a breather from the hectic family life for a few days."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense. Kids are stressful."

"Speaking of, when am I going to meet this godchild of yours?" she inquired.

"Oh, um, I'm sure we can arrange a get together. How long are you staying for?" I asked.

She looked at her phone. "Four days, if you'll have me," she looked up at me, like she was searching my face for something.

"Yeah, of course," I looked back at her quizzically. "You're welcome to stay _here_ if you want. It's cheaper than the B-and-B."

She looked sideways at me. "Only if you put a cover on this couch," she joked.

I waved her off. "No, no. You can have the bed. Don't worry, I'll change the sheets."

We spent hours catching up before Flynn got home. We talked about her kids, Kate's kid, her husband, Flynn, my job, and several other things. We spoke at least once a week on the phone, but actually seeing each other made it way better.

"Tan, I'm home," Flynn walked in, his tan uniform shirt already half unbuttoned. "Oh, hi," he stopped short when he saw us.

I stood up excitedly. "Audrey, this is Flynn. Flynn, this is my sister, Audrey."

Flynn extended his hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Audrey," his smile was precious.

"Likewise, Flynn. I've heard… well, all sorts of things about you," she smirked devilishly.

He looked at me curiously, wondering what I'd told her no doubt. "Don't let him fool you. I'm actually a delinquent," he joked.

"The best people usually are," she grinned. _I think I just made a new friendship_.

Flynn pointed towards the room. "I'm gonna go take off my gun and slip into something less comfortable," he said before disappearing into the bedroom.

"Oh, crap. Dinner," I ran to the kitchen and looked through just about everything, but I hadn't defrosted anything or even bothered to prep anything because I was so distracted by Audrey's sudden arrival. "I'm going to have to pick something up," I said when I walked back into the living room. Flynn walked out in jeans and a shirt then fell into the chair I'd been sitting in earlier. "Think you two can get along while I go out for a minute?"

Audrey nodded. "This is the perfect opportunity for me to learn about lockpicks," she said a bit too seriously.

Flynn's hand met his face. "Oh boy," the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

"Aaand that's my cue to leave," I snapped my fingers and turned swiftly on my heel, grabbing my wallet and keys on my way out. I wasn't even sure what I was going to pick up. _That seafood place by the docks ought to be fine._

When I got home, Flynn and Audrey were laughing ridiculously hard. I'd never seen Flynn smile like that with a stranger. I set the to-go boxes out, lining them up on the counter with utensils. "Hey, kids, dinner's ready," I stuck my head out of the kitchen. Their conversation got really quiet and I saw Flynn nod a few times before they got up. _What in the world are they talking about?_

Flynn wrapped his arms around me from behind as I started making my plate. "Thanks, babe," he kissed my shoulder then grabbed his own plate.

Audrey smirked from the doorway. "Awe, how cute," she teased.

"Just get your food," I sneered.

We spent a while at the table laughing and eating. It felt so good having them both there. And they got along! That's not something that happens often. Soon, the conversation about her staying for those few nights came up.

"She should have the bed," Flynn suggested as he helped me clean up.

"Oh, no, the couch is fine," Audrey sipped at one of Flynn's imported beers. "I wouldn't exile you from your own room."

I waved her off. "Don't be silly. We'll just sleep on the pull-out."

Flynn shook his head. "Actually, I'll go down to the docks. I have some things I need to work on anyway."

"Well, if you're set on it," Audrey agreed.

While I did want my sister to be comfortable, I didn't want to banish Flynn from the apartment just to let her stay here. I pulled him aside when we got to the kitchen. "Are you sure? The pull-out is fine," I said.

"The couch bed has that one bad spring," he leaned against the counter. "You like sleeping on the couch anyway," he smirked.

I took a step towards him. "But… it'll be cold without you," I pouted, grabbing at his beltloops.

He snickered. "I guess you'll just have to wait a week. Then I'll warm you up all you want," he looked up at me with a smirk. "Besides, wouldn't it be awkward for Audrey if she had to listen to us all night?"

I blushed. "Fair point…"

With that, it was sorted. Audrey took the bed with fresh linens, I curled up on the couch like I did when Flynn worked overnight, and my boyfriend was alone on his boat again. It was a bit hard to fall asleep alone since we'd been together for so long, and I couldn't stop my mind from wondering what work he was doing that he couldn't do in the apartment.

The next day, Kate and Rachie came over and Audrey fell in love on the spot.

"This is why you don't come home on holidays? I don't blame you," she beamed as she played with my godchild. "You're a cutie, aren't you," the pitch of her voice rose as her obsession with Rachel grew. "You're not so bad either," she looked up at Kate on the couch and winked. Kate giggled, a blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Keep it in your pants, girl. You're married," I joked.

"If I ever get divorced, I'm moving here," she rebutted.

The girls hit it off just as well as Audrey had with Flynn, if not more so. It was a weird feeling seeing my sister getting a long so well with my bonus family.

"Since you two seem to enjoy each other's company," I started, "I'm going to go see Flynn for a bit."

"Uh," Audrey looked up at me, a bit of panic on her face. "Actually, I was wondering if I could see Kate's bakery," she stood up from the floor.

"Oh, right. We should definitely show you around the Tasty Pastry!" Kate smiled, looking just as uneasy as my sister.

I shrugged. "Sure. You have the spare key, sis. Just lock up when you guys leave."

Kate began repacking Rachie's bag of toys. "I mean, I _could_ show her by myself, but she's _your_ sister, so you should come too."

"Yeah, _bro_. Don't leave me in a place I don't know with a pretty girl. I won't know what to do with myself," Audrey added.

I looked between their fake smiles skeptically. "Okay then," I threw Kate her keys from the table.

"Or," she pocketed her car key, "we could walk."

"Yeah, walking is good," Audrey agreed, but she usually didn't like walking unless she was intentionally exercising. _This is weird._ I shrugged.

We walked about three blocks, Rachel holding both mine and her mom's hand. Audrey smiled at us. "I haven't seen you this adorable since Annie was that age," she mentioned her first born.

I beamed. "You know I love these kiddos. They're probably the only kids I've ever actually liked," I joked. My niece, Annabelle, was almost fifteen now and her little brother, Joseph, was twelve. They'd grown up so fast. I felt like Rachel was my shot at redemption for being a no-show uncle. I tried to see them for holidays, but things always came up. I wished that Audrey had brought them with her, but I understood her needing a break.

"You'd be a great dad," she looped her arm with mine.

I laughed. "Woah, I don't know about that." Honestly, I'd never even _thought_ about it. Being an uncle was good enough for me… not that I'd ever asked Flynn about it… Was that even something that needed to be brought up?

The girls teased me a bit more until we got to the bakery. We didn't stay there for long, though. Soon, the girls were talking about shopping and the history of the town. Honestly, I'd spaced out a bit while they were going at it.

"Let's walk around town!" Katie's excitement snapped me out of my trance. "We can stop by gift shops and show Audrey the better side of Bridgeport!"

I ended up being dragged along with them for the next hour or so. Rach was on my shoulders, playing with my hair when she wasn't staring at literally everything, and the girls were arm in arm up ahead of us, whispering relentlessly. _Seriously, what is going on?_ At one point, we ended up in a formalwear store. They took turns picking out ties that looked good on me for whatever reason before running over to check out the dresses. Rach and I sat over by the dressing rooms.

"I think they brought me just to babysit," I pulled her up onto my lap, "but little do they know, I actually like hanging out with you."

She pointed at the pile of ties sitting on the chair next to us. "I like that one," she said.

"This one?" I pointed at a black one with silver stripes.

"No, _that_ one," she pointed to the same spot. It was like an episode of Dora the Explorer and I was the pointer.

"This one?" I pointed to a yellow and pale blue plaid tie that I didn't quite favor. She shook her head. "What about this one?" She nodded vigorously. "I like this one, too," I agreed, picking up the solid sea blue tie.

"It looks like Uncle Flynn," she pointed to me, the tip of her finger nearly poking me in the eye.

I looked down at the tie. "You're right. It does," I stared at it for a while. "I'm gonna buy this one." I put it back down and turned my eyes to my niece. "Rachie, you wanna hear a story?" She nodded eagerly. "Okay. Once upon a time, there was a _tiny_ little mouse named Nina. She lived in a hole in the wall near the edge of the dining room with her mommy. One day, Nina smelled some cheese," I stopped for a second when Rachie gasped. "Oh, and she _loved_ cheese. More than most mice, in fact."

"Did she get it?" she asked, biting at her fingers.

"Well, you'll just have to listen to the story to find out," I wrinkled my nose. "So, Nina crept out of her hole and into the house. She was very sneaky, you see," I told her. The story continued, and Rachel's expressions changed as the plot began to twist.

"Did she get away? Did she?" Rachel bounced with anticipation when I told her that the pet dog had spotted poor little Nina trying to steal the cheese from the table.

"He chased her around the _whole_ house, but Nina was able to duck into her mouse house before Heinz could get to her. See, he was too big to fit in her little hole in the wall, so she was safe," I said.

Rach let out the breath she'd been holding. "Oh, good. I thought she wouldn't make it," she put her hand to her chest and heaved another sigh.

"But when she got in, she noticed that she'd dropped her cheese!" I added, watching her face drop.

"No! She wanted that cheese!" she was outraged. "Now the dog has it!"

I nodded. "He did. And he gobbled it up right in front of her!" I imitated a dog eating, making noises as I went. "But when her mom found her, she wrapped her in a big hug and told her that everything was going to be okay," I said when I saw Katie smiling down at me when she and Audrey were done shopping.

Kate picked up her daughter and swung her around in a hug. "We have cheese at home, don't worry, little mouse." Rachel giggled as her mom kissed her cheeks. "Did you have fun with Uncle Tan?" she asked.

"Yeah! He told me a story and we found Uncle Flynn!" she told her.

"Oh? And where is he?" she asked, clearly curious about the answer.

Rach pointed to the tie I'd set aside from the others. "He's right there."

She was still a bit confused, but eventually smiled. "Oh, I see," she looked up at me. "Are you going to buy it?" she asked with a grin.

I blushed a bit and turned away from her. "No," I lied.

"Liar! You said you wanted it," Rach pointed out.

I stood quickly and got close to her face. "Shh, you'll give away my secret," I smiled slyly at her.

"This one it is then," Audrey picked up the tie and glided over to the cashier.

I groaned. "Three against one isn't fair," I joked.

After that, we went to the taffy shop because Katie was obsessed with sweets. Audrey got a bag for her kiddos and I got a few just to enjoy while they dragged me around some more. After almost a whole day of being out, Katie said, "Okay, I think it's time to head home." Rach had fallen asleep on my shoulder, her arms hanging loosely around my neck.

"Yeah, I think the little one is all tuckered out," I agreed. "Want us to walk you back to your apartment?"

She shook her head. "No, we'll be fine," she said, taking her daughter from my arms. "Happy birthday," she whispered when I was in earshot.

"What?" I looked down at my watch. "Oh, look at that." I'd completely forgotten what day it was.

"You forgot about your birthday again, didn't you?" Audrey pursed her lips with a hand on her hip. "How do you manage to do that _every_ year?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. It's just not that important, I guess."

"Of course it's important," Katie made the same face. "You're not getting any younger. You have to celebrate while you can," she smiled.

I shook my head. "I'm 31. The year marks just aren't as important as they were when we were kids," I said. "And you both know I've never been big on parties."

Kate looked offended and Audrey laughed. "Yeah, he told me you're a big party girl."

She beamed. "What can I say? It's fun." I looked up as the sun began to set. "Anyway, I should be getting her home," Katie looked down at her sleepy-headed child.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Katie-bear," I waved at her as she started up the hill towards her apartment. Audrey and I began walking down towards the docks, but I didn't exactly know why. I figured it was just habitual for me at this point and she was simply following my lead. I shoved my hands in my pockets. "I'm 32 now, I guess," I shrugged.

She laughed and leaned into me. "Feel old yet?"

I snickered. "Do you? You're 35," I jabbed.

She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, don't remind me." We got to the docks just as the last of the painted sky was fading into the horizon. "So, where's this boat you guys keep telling me about?" she asked, looking down the piers. I pointed her over to the small houseboat three docks over. "Awe, it's cute." Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out. "Uh, but like… let's not go there yet. Wasn't there a bar somewhere around here you said you liked? Sunken Sarah's or something?"

I looked sideways at her. "Shipwreck Sally's," I corrected, "but why the sudden change?"

"Well, it's been a long day and I could use a sit-down before you put me on a boat," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but if you guys are planning some sort of surprise…," I started.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. You're not _that_ special," she snorted.

I gasped playfully. "Hurtful." I walked her a couple blocks farther to the bar, but before we went in, I blocked the door. "Okay, so what's the deal?"

"I don't know what you mean, brother mine," she stared into my eyes. Unlike Kate, she was actually a pretty good liar.

I stared down at her. "What are you guys up to? First you and Flynn hit it off like you've been talking for weeks, then you and Kate. Not to mention all the whispering and random 'oh yeah, let's also do this while we're out' thing that's been happening all day."

She cocked her head. "What? Flynn's a good guy. Does he not talk to everyone like that?"

I shook mine. "He doesn't open up to strangers," I narrowed my eyes at her. "I know you've talked briefly during some phone calls, but there's more to it, isn't there?"

"Flynn and I just met, Tan," she said simply. "Now, you _didn't_ tell me that Kate was a total hottie," she smirked, trying to change the subject.

I groaned. "Why are you so good at keeping secrets?" My detective senses told me that she was definitely lying, but as her brother, I knew there was no way in hell she'd ever tell me what was really going on.

"Practice, my dear brother. Practice," she patted my shoulder before pushing me out of the way. "Are we going to drink or what?" She opened the door. I was expecting some sort of jump scare or confetti bomb, but there was nothing. The bar looked like it usually did. There were only a few burly looking guys at different tables and a row of empty bottles and mugs waiting to be cleaned on the counter. "Wow, this place really is nautical," she looked around at the nets and life preservers. The place hadn't changed at all in three years. The bartenders came and went as they grew up and left town or started families, but the atmosphere was always the same. I took a seat at a table near the corner across from my sister. We ordered some drinks and sat in silence for a minute. "Surprise," she said sarcastically, "there's no party."

"Fine," I gave in. "I'm sorry for being so suspicious."

She nodded. "It's fine. You've been in reporter mode for so long, it's obviously hard to turn it off," she smirked.

"I guess it is," I agreed as our drinks were placed on the table. I looked up to thank the bartender, but I saw… "Hey, Naomi."

She smiled. "Hey, Tanner."

"What are you doing all the way down here?" I asked, knowing both the precinct and her house were in the complete other direction.

She looked around. "Well, O'Malley… Flynn said he'd meet me here to go over some work stuff," she explained. "Is he here?"

I shook my head. "No. Last we spoke, he was on the boat, but I haven't heard from him in a few hours."

"Oh, I see," she looked to Audrey. "Who's this?"

"Right, this is my sister, Audrey," I gestured to her.

Naomi held out her hand. "Naomi Silverhawk. Pleasure to meet you," she smiled warmly.

"Audrey Brent," they shook hands.

"Naomi here is our Chief of Police," I informed my sister. "She's also one of the few reasons I decided to move here. It's hard to find a friend as loyal."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Please. We all know you stayed for _other_ reasons," she smirked. "Mind if I join you while I wait for said 'other reason'?" I laughed, and Audrey held out her hand in an invitation.

We chatted for a little while before Kate skipped in. "Oh, I knew I'd find you here," she bounded over to the table, full of energy as always.

"I thought you were winding down for the night," I smiled, unable to do anything else when she was glowing this bright.

She nodded. "I was, but then I decided I wasn't. Ms. Harlenay… _Mrs. Winters_ ," she corrected herself, "is babysitting for me."

The four of us laughed and talked about the last three years, filling my sister in on the ups and downs of our simple small-town life. Maybe an hour later, I got a text from Flynn saying that he didn't see me at home and was wondering where I was. As I hit the send button, the door creaked open and a tall dark man walked in.

"Emerson?" I narrowed my eyes at the door, my suspicion slamming back into the forefront of my mind.

"Hey, Tanner," he smiled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were stuck in New York for the next few months," I stood to greet him, giving him a quick hug.

He chuckled. "Like I'd miss your birthday," he said.

"I mean, you did last year," I joked.

He looked a bit off-put for a second. "Well, I'm making up for it this year," he said quickly. I looked at him skeptically, but invited him to sit with us. We had to move to a booth because of all the people joining us. "This is like old times, huh?" Grant beamed, looking around, his eyes locking on my sister. "Oh, hello. I don't believe I've had the pleasure," his eyebrow raised as the corner of his mouth curled up.

"Audrey," she introduced herself, taking his hand.

"I'm Grant," he kissed her hand and she looked at me, a bit surprised.

I laughed. "Knock it off, Emerson, or I'll have to add an assault charge to my record."

"Noted," he pulled his hand back, but kept smiling at her.

"She's married," I added, which did the trick, making us all laugh. "Emerson is the D.A. I was telling you about, sis. He recently went a step above and spends most of his time in New York dealing with Wallstreet scams."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but yeah, that's the gist of it," he said.

"So, who else is coming to this party?" I asked, looking at Katie and my sister. Before they could deflect, object, or otherwise, I held up my hand and started counting on my fingers. "Suspicious whispering, quickly becoming besties, the daily detour, not going to the boat suddenly, friends randomly showing up at the bar we decided to come to," I listed. "My spidy-senses are tingling and you're gonna have a tough time convincing me otherwise." Grant leaned over to whisper with Naomi quickly then nodded. "See? Suspicious whispering," I pointed out.

"Well, to be fair, this _is_ the bar we all normally come to," Katie reasoned, crossing her arms on the table.

"Explain Grant, then. We all know work comes first," I turned to him. "Which isn't a bad thing, but you could have just sent me a text or called." His offended expression softened into a shrug. He knew I was right.

"Fine," Audrey looked up from her phone. "You caught us. Happy Birthday," she pounded her fists together, exploding into jazz hands to mimic fireworks.

I rolled my eyes. "You had me believing for a second that it was just a coincidence, so good job," I smiled. "But seriously, who else is coming?"

"Just Flynn," Naomi looked towards the door, but nothing happened. I didn't know why I expected him to burst in on cue.

I looked down at my phone. I groaned when I realized I hadn't sent the message. I quickly hit send and flipped my phone over on the table. "So, why all the secrecy? It's not like I wouldn't have come if you'd just said so."

Audrey shrugged. "It's more fun this way."

"How long have you been planning this?" I asked.

She thought for a second. "Since you went on that trip to Vermont."

My jaw dropped. "That was _months_ ago!" She nodded. "That's a lot of planning for a surprise party."

"Well, two of them did have to _fly_ in," Naomi reasoned. I nodded. _That's true_.

My phone buzzed. "Flynn said he's on his way," I informed the group. _I wonder why he's running late? Shouldn't he have been one of the first people here if this is my birthday party?_ I rested my chin on my hand. _They've been planning this since Vermont? What the heck else is supposed to happen?_ I was so stuck in my thoughts, I didn't even hear the conversation around me. I noticed the rest of the fisherman clear out a few minutes after each other. For the first time in a while, the mellow atmosphere didn't drown out the song playing on the jukebox in the far corner. It was playing Blue Suede Shoes, but the upbeat 50's swag didn't seem to liven up the place any. Maybe it was the brick interior or maybe it was because of the mass amount of drinking alone this bar saw more often than not.

"Tanner," Audrey snapped in front of my face. "He's here," she pointed over to the door. I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts waiting for him to show that I didn't even notice he had.

I smiled and perked up a bit. He shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way over to us, sliding into the booth next to me. "Hey," his arm automatically wrapped around me, resting on the back of the bench.

"Hey," I said back. "Were you in on this, too?"

He smirked. "Guilty."

"Well, thanks, you guys. This is a good birthday surprise," I smiled at everyone.

"Pft, we haven't even reached the best part yet," Katie sat up straight in the middle of the booth. "We haven't started _dancing_ yet," she stood on the bench and stepped over Naomi and Grant to get out. She ran over to the jukebox and started punching in all kinds of songs.

The first was upbeat and set the mood. She pulled Grant to his feet, forcing him to dance with her. He started a bit shyly, but loosened up as the song went on. Naomi joined them, pulling her hair out of its ponytail.

"This is silly," I laughed, watching them make fools of themselves.

Audrey shoved my shoulder, pushing me into Flynn. "Go dance, you two," she smirked. I didn't have to look at Flynn to know he didn't want to, but I did and that was indeed his position. "Fine, then dance with _me_ , Tan," she crawled out of the booth, extending a hand to me. I laughed at her sudden enthusiasm, kissed Flynn's cheek, then scooted my way out of the booth to dance with my sister. We moved the tables out of the way and let the rhythm guide us. Soon, we were all being goofy. Even Flynn was tapping his feet and laughing at us. After a few songs and a few more drinks, the song that came on made me grin wildly.

I looked at Flynn, who was smiling back at me. I worked my way over to him and sat on his lap. "You _have_ to dance with me now," I whispered, wrapping my arm around his neck. It was the song he'd first played me on his guitar.

He let out a long sigh. "Fine," he gave in quickly. I stood up and extended my hand excitedly. He downed the rest of his beer then took my hand. I pulled him close to me and his hand found my waist automatically. We'd danced to this on the boat, but never in public. I rested my hand on the back of his shoulder as he led me around the floor. I could see his lips moving, but couldn't hear his voice. I started singing with him, encouraging him to sing louder. I couldn't stop smiling. This was the best birthday I'd had in a long time.

When the song was over, he kissed me like nobody else was in the room, but they were definitely there… they started cheering. We both blushed, but Flynn was a bit more embarrassed than I was. He tried to sit back down, but I pulled him back to me. "Ignore them. They're just being annoying," I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. The next song was a slow country song. He reluctantly put his hands on my waist, but it wasn't long before he was swaying with me.

Everyone else was sitting down when we finished, so we joined them back in the booth. I slid in first.

"Shit," I spun around and saw Flynn on the ground reaching under the table.

"What did you lose?" I asked, looking around with him.

"My purpose until _you_ showed up," he looked up at me.

I groaned with a smile. "God, that's cheesy," I rubbed the bridge of my nose. When I looked back at him, he was on one knee and his hand extended toward me, a silver ring shining in the dim bar light. "Oh my…," I put my hand to my mouth, taking a deep breath.

"Tanner Xavier Murphy, will you marry me?" his eyes were wide and sparkled more than the ring. I couldn't get the word out. _This is what they've been planning, isn't it?_

"Since… Oh my god… I'm such a jerk," I buried my face in my hands. Only recently did I discover his desire to take things further, and I'd spent the last year assuming he felt the same way I did. He'd been planning this moment for nearly half a year and I'd only figured it out a month ago.

When I looked up, he looked uneasy. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. "Is that a yes?" he asked with a smile when we pulled apart. I nodded, still overwhelmed. "Really?" he lit up.

"Yeah, of course," I kissed him one more time before he took my left hand. When I saw the ring, I froze. "Where… did you get that?" I asked as he slid it onto my finger.

He jerked his chin towards my sister. I looked over my shoulder at her. "Mom sends her blessing," she looked like she was about to start crying, and I most certainly already was. I looked back at the ring then held my hand close to my chest. It was my dad's wedding ring. He'd died before I graduated college and my mom had been distant with me since. She said I looked too much like him. I could feel the tears roll down my cheeks. I wiped my face with my hand then kissed Flynn again.

"I love you," I rested my forehead against his as his hands caressed my arms. I sniffed and pulled away, wiping my face on my sleeve. "Sorry, I'm blubbering," I laughed nervously. "So attractive," I joked.

"You're always handsome to me," Flynn stood up and scooted in next to me on the bench, his arm around my back. We kissed one more time before I turned back to the others.

Katie was crying, too, and blew her nose into her napkin. "This is so great. You're finally going to be my brother," she beamed through her tears.

Naomi held up her glass. "To Tanner and Flynn," she smiled. Flynn took my hand under the table.

Grant, Kate, and Audrey held their drinks up to hers. "To Tanner and Flynn," they all said.


End file.
